At the Big Media Forum in the Middle East, all talk and schmooz and designer hotel. The usual 80-20 rule applies - only 20 percent of the people are worth talking to, for only 20 percent of the time, which means that 80 percent of the time is spent on vacuous pleasantries and expensive coffee. There is a benefit in that, because it's unusual to get 20 percent of the people you want to talk to, in the same place, prepared to talk to you, and especially so if you are a small media business instead of a named Big One with a proper business card title. So in theory you can save 80 percent of the time you'd spend travelling between meetings and pitches, hotels, meals, etc., and use it to catch up on the follow-up emails and action points. Or family time. Or go for a run. It's a nice spring day and the flight home is tomorrow. Prepaid with no flexibility. Hah.