You asked a great question: So why do we still cling to conference sessions that employ the one communication mode (one-to-many) for which a variety of alternatives can substitute?

I think there are several reasons why:
1) Status quo
2) That’s the way we’ve alwasy done it.
3) It’s easier.
4) We are trying to control the audience and the message.
5) We don’t know how to do it differently.
6) We are usually taught and well trained regarding logistics, not effective communication strategies and human nature.

In today’s world of Web 2.0, social media networking platforms, people want to engage with each other and engage with the content. We, as conference and event professionals, do a great disservice to our attendees by trying to cram them into one-to-many ballroom and breakout sessions all day. We need to learn new ways of being a connection catalyst and conduit for our attendees instead.