I've never been before; this will (hopefully) be my first time, but my excuse is that I can combine in with some geeky sightseeing in the US.
Why would you need a visa to attend a conference? You don't need a visa to travel, and I think people travel for business all the time.
That's actually not true, it depends on what country you're from. By default, you need a visa to enter the US, even for short visits. However, if you're from one of the countries on this page, then the visa requirement is waived for visits < 90 days:
If you meet some additional criteria (mentioned on the page as well). Also many of the countries were added just recently (2008).
Thanks! I really did want to learn about this, and phrased my post all wrong. I really appreciate the information.
> You don't need a visa to travel, and I think people travel for business all the time.
What?you obviously dont know what you are talking about.
wow, I clearly should have rephrased that. I actually didn't have any idea what I was talking about and was curious to find out more. I see now that I wrote that all wrong, the question didn't sound like a question.