[dkersten]

but I also think your answer could be paraphrased as "conferences are good because extroverts like them

Sure, except that I'm far from an extrovert and that's exactly why I like conferences: I find it incredibly difficult to network and a conference provides a nice, safe, closed environment for me to do so regardless.

Also, in context of "companies should pay for their employees", none of the experiences you note benefitted the company

Absolutely. I wasn't really relying in the context of the article but rather as a counterpoint to not finding personal value in conferences. I've went to almost all conferences I've been to on my own dime, so I obviously wasn't there to benefit my employers.