A categorization of people behavior in conferences (seen in 360 ezine):

A research team led by Steelcase Inc. has studied how people behave at conferences and how the space supports their activities … or not. Among the key findings: people display a range of behaviors that correlate to how connected they are to the content of the conference, and most churn through several levels of participation by the time the event is over.

Some engage actively, Some sponge, quietly soaking up information Some lurk along the perimeter, Some eddy together and form small groups, Some camp out on phones or computers away from the group, Some “ostrich” by pulling in and out of the main event.