If you think conferences are not one big commercial then you are absolutely wrong. I have to hand it to Dave Winer for bringing up a very valid point. He may be going to a conference and he had found a sponsor to pay his way. The conference holders said he cannot have a sponsor but they are still willing to let him speak.
This is in stark contrast to looking at the sponsors for the conference then looking at the speaker list for the conference. These people are getting paid to be their and by being paid they are being paid big bucks.
So is it such a crime to have a sponsor for a conference especially if you are not associated with a company and are coming as a expert in the field. In my opinion it is pure hypocrisy [www.reallysimplesyndication.com]