I'm a bit irritated by the ranks of the speakers. These are top dogs; old men who climbed very high in the establishment.
The message to me seems to be that this event will be a societal event with emphasis on the talks in the breaks.


A seminar/conference/symposium that's meant to push for innovation would likely prefer speakers with an emphasis on innovative thought, not past success in the establishment. It would end up with captains, majors and LtCols as speakers.


A mere information, information dissemination, event is superfluous. The same can be communicated through many media without an actual gathering.