Diverse Educational Events

[Pete Woelfel]

I'm looking to combine attending a diverse educational event with a vacation somewhere in the US.  I really enjoy TED talks, but the big annual conference is expensive and tough to get in to.  I've heard good things about the World Domination Summit in Portland each year but unfortunately those dates don't work for us.  

Since this is a diverse community that spends a lot of time with self-improvement-y books/podcasts/etc, I thought some of you might have some ideas. I'm obviously interested in things REI related, but also tech, psychology, and many other topics. Just looking for a chance to learn something new in a new city and take a break from the regular routine.

Is there anything that any of you have heard of or attended that you might recommend?