Luis Suarez posted commentary and a link to a podcast on The Future of Conferences. Click through to the podcast page and read the first two paragraphs (listen to the podcast too!). I agree with the problem statement.
In June, I attended a one day unconference that used the Open Space Technology model. It had by far the highest signal to noise ratio of any technical event that I've ever attended..and I've been around a while.
I posted a suggestion to Idea Jam/Lotusphere for IBM to provide unconference space at Lotusphere. I'm looking forward to the usual tracks and sessions but I would like to have a more conversational option during some of the prime time hours. There's so much knowledge and experience walking around the Epcot resorts area the third week in January. Let's tap into more of it. It might suck. It might rock.
Read the Open Space Technology article and vote on Idea Jam. If you vote down, please give a meaningful comment.