@JoonasIlmavirta A fleeting visit? What about the post conference refreshments--best part of it; informal chat with potentially useful information exchange? Did you have a another engagement, or did you want to return home: an oasis of peace where no one would be making any demands upon you?

@tony The event was at my own university but at a different department, so going there was very easy. I made myself available in case anyone wanted to come and chat afterwards, but I had other commitments for the rest of the day. I would have had a free dinner, but I chose to skip.

@JoonasIlmavirta You skipped a free dinner?!?! The next appointment must have been something really good--was it?

@tony A conference dinner is not necessarily very relaxing, and whether I can go to something like that will sometimes depend more on what I have to do rather than what I want to do. Now I happened to be hosting visitors of my own at the department, so I couldn't spend too much time at the event.