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There are an ever increasing number of topical technical conferences which supplement the general meetings of the various scientific societies. These gatherings, usually devoted to one quite specific research area, provide an opportunity for those scientists actively working in the field to concentrate on their specialty. However, they also increase the number of conferences one feels obliged to attend in order to keep abreast of current activities. That such meetings fulfill a purpose is attested to by the fact that many have grown over the years into formal conferences with attendances of several hundred.
James J. Brophy (Sat,) studied this question.