Convention post mortems

I must say, the more often I go to conventions; in my case, produce oriented, the less able I am to justify the time and expense they entail.  It seems to me that most of the energy we expend is to "show the flag" to our existing customers and look for the unlikely newbie.   The average company display and personnel cost at the recent PMA convention in Atlanta probably cost in excess of 25,000 dollars, not to mention the dinners, receptions and other networking expenses.  Multiply that by the numerous other confabs offered around the country by regional organizations and the expenses become mind boggling.  Many brokers and even large produce companies are scaling back their participation, but the stigma attached to non attendance at these affairs is harsh.  The implication is the person or organization not displaying is in a straitened economic situation.  I have a feeling after this latest extravaganza there will be some soul-searching, especially if a strict cost-benefit analysis is done.