Isn't this a little harsh? What, you can't file bug reports or submit suggestions without going to the workshop? These user conferences / workshops are very common in the software-for-businesses industry, AND $100 is extremely cheap for one of these things. I'm not saying that it provides any legitimate value or anything, but it's a normal practice, and I think people just go to them because they just have to drink beer and socialize with other geeks, it's a vacation from real work, and they expense it so it's free to them.
It's an excellent opportunity for their competitors to get informed about their products for only $100 (and a plane ticket. My startup being one of them - not that I have time to fly over there) It is also a social gathering, so people might be getting value out of it in that respect too.
