i understand how it seems that a lot of these shows seem more like a huge party than business....HOWEVER, i find the shows are good for my business connections.

although you might not talk about actual business deals, i think meeting people in person and getting to know them will lead you to more opportunities and further communications down the road.

meeting with Mike @ Webair at the Phoenix Forum a couple of years back for a cocktail and finding out he's a nice guy...led me to move my hosting over to them a couple of years later after my hosting company was closing down. then me being a picky-asshole customer at Webair got me a job offer from Mike at Webair, who figured if i knew more than some of the tech guys did, i would probably do a better job.

dinner with the WTS guys eventually led to a relationship where i got my current company to process with them, and led to another job offer from them after they liked my technical communication skills.

and finally, my current position at PrideBucks was a result of me meeting the PrideBucks guys at Internext a couple of years back and finding out that they are a cool group of people....and accepting a job offer a few years later.

the moral of the story: although you might not talk about actual business topics at Internext, you meet people, develop relationships, and from there a wide variety of opportunities will come.