When Apple released the iPhone, it wouldn’t have worked if they didn’t control the entire stack. iOS on a blackberry phone wouldn’t have been magical. A physical iPhone without the iOS wouldn’t have turned many heads either.
What made it so special was the whole experience. The hardware and the software together.
When we think about events, it works the same way. The more parts of the event that are integrated into the experience, the better the overall outcome. A one hour lecture is nothing to envy. A four hour conference can be interesting. A weekend retreat where everyone stays in the same hotel and eats meals together is on an exponentially higher level than either of the previously mentioned short events.
Workshops, transportation, accommodations, meals and downtime. They’re all opportunities for an event designer to create magic. The more you have to work with, the more special you can make the experience.