Conferences can be quite daunting if you’re a speaker.  You sit there in front of dozens - maybe hundreds - of fellow peers.  They’re all experts in your own field, and you go through your speech followed by some question and answers.  Some speakers see the Q and A as almost like the Spanish inquisition.  But last night I think they got everything right in the setup of the conference.  The conference lighting was soft and friendly, which made the atmosphere quite informal and intimate.  And it went really well - we exchanged some very interesting ideas and I got the feeling the speakers felt free and uninhibited.