Why do we have seminars?

I went to a seminar today, actually it was an all day thing with quite a few companies who I thought would be toting their wares and the latest and greatest in technology. At least that was my expectations. I was however, rather dissapointed with both the quality of the presentations and the content of said presentations.

The reason I go to seminars is to learn new things. Things which may help me in my daily work as an overstressed and over worked system administrator. I want to go to seminars to connect with people who are more experienced than me in parts of IT which I am unfamiliar with and perhaps to gain ideas on how I can do my work more efficiently. In other words how I can gain more time to play nethack or click the stumble upon button .

Seriously, I do not go to seminars to stand around like a stunned mullet, drinking watery coffee and munching on biscuits guaranteed to break your teeth while people walking past avoid your eye contact. I do not go to seminars to have companies give an hour long presentation on how good they are with information that I can get in thirty seconds by going to their web page.

Sure they show some impressive graphs with them in front and being the leader of the pack with high numbers of percentage points. You know that 93% of people will believe anything as long as it has a percentage sign attached to the end of a random number. Yet how do those companies, supposedly being the best in the market, help me with my daily work? So they are a good and successful company, whoop di doo. What I want to see is what they are selling that I can use!

Don't get me wrong. Not all seminars I have been to have had such a high noise to signal ratio as this one. This one was however particularly noisy, or should I say there was more chaff than wheat. I am also sure they pick speakers who have agrophobia and a speaking style which matches the resonant frequancy of the room resulting in extremely heavy eyelids.

Well that is enough of a rant from me. I go to seminars to learn new things yet it seems that, at least in this country, companies are using seminars as a way of tooting their own horns. Instead of tooting their wares. That to me is a waste of both my time and the companies money. Which ultimately means I have paid out of my own pocket for useless time I will never get back.

What do you think? Have the quality of seminars degraded recently? Am I just blowing it out of my nether regions? Or have I just turned into one of those old complaining greybeards I used to make fun of?