Events for webmasters

I see other webmasters talk about different events that they go to all the time do you have to be invited or what or do you have to pay? how does that work?

Example on shoemoney blog it says that he will go to las vegas Pubcon 2006, do other people get to go or do they get an invitation??

 

you can most of the times purchase an invitation most of the times...they are really expensive

 

Yeah, sometimes very expensive!

 

yeah right.