This whole notion of launching is pretty skewed. People put to much emphasis on it. Its like quinceañeras. They prepare and do a lot of stuff for the big party expecting everything to be a success, but then Tio Jose ruins everything by getting drunk and hassling the DJ. Shit is going to happen. Always does. Always will. What you should work with is breaking into your market at a steady rate. Forget about blogs, and PR. Focus on customer acquisition. Many big businesses had shitty launches. The launch does not matter as much as some think it does. Hell, you can manufacture a successful launch pretty easily.
I used to frequent these types of conferences a while back. I'd attend the larger evening events knowing who sponsored them. But when I got home I never thought once to review their service or see what they're all about. If the service wasn't recommended to me by a friend or in person I had no interest. I only went to the event to meet up with friends and possibly make new acquaintances. So in that regard I agree with the article. When you spend your marketing dollars feeding people alcohol, chocolate fondue and mini lamb-chop burgers that's what they'll remember. They won't remember your service and may never know what it does/did.