Conferences and Seminars - To go or not to go

I was at a conference last week having been invited to run a workshop on mobile working but also to go as a delegate which meant once my bit was over I could relax and listen to others. Most of the speakers were practitioners who like me had been 'persuaded' to participate plus there were the usual circuit speakers, either consultants or practitioners that seem to be always at these events. I am not sure how they get the time. In my case it seemed like a good idea when I was asked but as it got closer I was struggling to find the time to put it together with the amount of research, structuring and rehearsing that was required. In the end all went well and the feed back was good.
The event was generally good and there were some informative sessions.
Generally I am disappointed with conferences. I used to go to the ones with subjects that I am interested in, full of hope that I will learn something but so often they fall short of my expectations.
I am now very very selective and maybe only do one or two a year.
In my opinion organisers apart from choosing the right subjects need to ensure tat the speakers give something back rather than just telling us what we already know.
Am I alone in this?