Just to interject a point here, it is common place for conferences and conventions to hold quite a few "events" simulatiously. As many as four choices at any time is not rare at all. This does not include separate events put on by various equipment manufacturers and private service providers, which also hold various events. All this going on completely separate from the exhibit hall, which is open during most events.

I attend usually three medical conferences every year, and all, without exception, have quite a few lectures, discussion groups, "in services", research poster review, symposium, or specialty group meeting running at the same time. Attending can sometimes bring on hard choices as to which we want to attend when more then one sounds interesting. Sometimes, after just a short time in one, I will have chosen poorly, and then walk out of the lecture to switch over another.

Conference schedules are kept with attendees at all times, and commonly marked up with notes, circles and stars.

My point here is that our convention is very small, and attendance is modest. Perhaps if we present more, it will benefit us in the future. To quote Field Of Dreams; "If you build it, they will come"

Perhaps we might want to look at the model of successful conventions, and think about what they are, and how they got there.