If you are still on the fence, it’s not to late. Attending your regional SCBWI conferences is one of the best things you can do for your writing career. They are smaller then the bigger conferences, and you get an opportunity to actually talk with the speakers. The networking is fun and it’s great to meet other authors from your area.
If you are interested, you can find more info here: http://iowa.scbwi.org/
I look forward to seeing everyone!