Do principals benefit from their annual conferences?

The principals’ conference had just ended in Mombasa when we started hearing of boarding schools getting burnt by students. When the principals met in Mombasa this year, most of their deliberations centered on code of conduct for teachers, examination irregularities, the best teacher and principal of the year etc.

They conducted all their deliberations in one hall of wild waters and they all listened to one presenter unlike in other conferences where there are many themes presented by different presenters in different rooms. Can 10,000 people engage in a conference and benefit in anything?