I received a flyer (more like a catalog) for SD West 2007 in the mail today. My first thought was that it looked like content IT Conversations subscribers would enjoy. But as I looked closer, I saw that they sell the audio to the event.

You can pay an additional $95 with a full pass or $295 with a one-day pass and get unlimited access to the audio and slides from the conference for 365 days after the event. They call this "SD On Demand."

I'm interested in hearing from anyone who has been to a past SD Expo and from anyone who purchased the audio. Does this seem like the kind of thing that you ought to pay more for? When you pay are you satisfied with a year of access? Is it the kind of thing you expect to be included in the price of a conference, or is it something you're happy getting from places like IT Conversations as we filter it using editorial control?

Many conference organizers have concluded that IT Conversations is a good place to advertise. People who hear last year's conference and enjoyed the talks are more likely to attend in the future. You might argue that no one's going to go to a conference that they can hear later for free, but we all know that a huge part of the value of a conference is in being there, not just listening to the speakers.

As I've said before, speakers and attendees benefit when IT Conversations hosts the audio for a conference. Speakers ensure that their talk will be heard by tens of thousands more people than would hear it at the conference. Attendees ensure that they'll be able to hear talks they enjoyed again or listen to a talk that conflicted with the one they went to.