@ariadne omg, is this s**t (aka "user events" or whatnot) still going on?
Lordy, that was a corporate-sponsored grift way back in the 1980's! They "reformed" by moving the events from holiday destinations (e.g. Hawaii) to actual business-related sites (e.g. Oklahoma), but a grift is a grift and the scenery was secondary.
I dunno, maybe this particular event has a better history of pure intentions?