I gotta say, it’s been really refreshing to
(1) attend a conference not in my immediate field, and
(2) not have to give a talk/organize/etc

Out of the two, I think (1) is the bigger contributor to how refreshing/exciting the experience is

Faculty should do this more often

@heather Couldn‘t agree more. That‘s exactly how I feel whenever I attend ICFP, for example. On my toes, throughout all conference days. And loving it.
@Teggy hopefully I can be as successful as you are at actually making use of the less-familiar field 😂 In your case, both communities benefit from your participation and contributions!