Try out the No Fluff, Just Stuff Symposiums.
I went to the first one in Denver and really liked it.
I have a friend who comes in from Omaha for the one we have here.
There are two every year in Denver, but I only go to the Fall one.
Other cities also have two events - some just have one.
Here's the URL:
http://www.nofluffjuststuff.com/symposiums/past.jsp They are held in Boston, Atlanta, Chicago, Seattle, Dallas, Detroit, Salt Lake, Columbus, Austin, Toronto, Phoenix, Durham, Broomfield/Denver, Minneapolis, Milwaukee, San Diego and Philadelphia.
They're nice because they're all technical.
Some of the current and past speakers are: Dion Almaer, Erik Hatcher, James Duncan Davidson, Mike Clark, Bruce Tate, Dave Thomas, Mike Cohn, Stuart Halloway, Jason Hunter, Glen Vanderburg and Matt Raible.