I suppose I should have defined "conferences" more closely, which for me includes workshops, workgroups etc. Right now, my subject isn't the biggest, so people usually know each other, each other's interests and what most other people are currently working on.
So yes, different experiences with conferences here. However, you are obviously right that the bigger the conference, the less constructive the overall discussion. This in a way corresponds to the aforementioned amount of readers targeted. If you aim to reach a broader audience, discussion will be less in-depth, if you specialise and focus on a smaller amount, discussion is more likely to be more relevant.
I suppose I should have defined "conferences" more closely, which for me includes workshops, workgroups etc. Right now, my subject isn't the biggest, so people usually know each other, each other's interests and what most other people are currently working on.
So yes, different experiences with conferences here. However, you are obviously right that the bigger the conference, the less constructive the overall discussion. This in a way corresponds to the aforementioned amount of readers targeted. If you aim to reach a broader audience, discussion will be less in-depth, if you specialise and focus on a smaller amount, discussion is more likely to be more relevant.