"We were stuck on this plane, right? And I swear... EVERYONE on the plane was either IN a band or working FOR a band. Didn't anyone warn the airline NOT to serve beer on the flight?"
If a conference packs in enough bands to fill at least ONE trans-continental flight, is it REALLY worth your while to attend? Record labels and music critics love conferences for the same reasons. They're the music industry equivalent of shooting fish in a barrel. If you're an emerging artist, take every precaution you can to not get shot!
Whose money are you spending? Are you maxing out your credit cards to send you and your bandmates to one of these temporary industry meccas? Think about how much you're spending, and ask yourself if you might get a better return by investing in better gear, or spending a day or two in a nice studio, or just paying your utility bills.
Keep your eyes on the prize. Remember that your success as an artist depends exclusively on the connections you make with the people that hear your music. The odds are far stronger that you'll make a bigger impact playing where you live than by taking a longshot on a half-hour set in unfamiliar territory. Remember that anyone who's willing to PAY to see you, or to buy a record from you, will be more valuable to you in the long run than 99.9% of the grab-bag audience you'll get at a conference gig.
Treat it like a working holiday. Nobody would go to these things if they weren't FUN! If you decide to hit a conference rather than, say, a trip to Vegas, you can have a great time, meet some useful people, and get some crucial road experience for the same price as a trip to a vacation hotspot. See as many shows as you can, and accept drinks from any record exec who offers.
Look locally. Chances are, there's a solid conference near you. SXSW started in Austin, and now operates similar events in Seattle and Toronto. (My favorite is Toronto - the city's eerily clean, as are the clubs. The bands are polite and that exchange rate lets you eat huge meals on the cheap.) There are also some impressive regional conferences developing in places like Vancouver, Atlanta and Philadelphia.
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