I do think these words can be important when they are being used to describe the actual things they describe but I also have some friends who can't get through a sentence without using the word 'counterfactual.' So, fair point.

Very nice and thoughtful post, I'm glad you had a good time. I had a very similar experience at my first EAGx (Boston) many years ago, though I had an advantage as I knew some other attendees. Hopefully this post will serve as a 'how to do a conference' for future attendees.