Meta,
The International Electron Beam Welding Conference at AWS Fabtech is a technically-rich program, not just a sales pitch. It's jointly run by AWS, the IIW (International Institute of Welding) and DVS (the German Welding Society), so it's bringing some international powerhouses to Chicago for two days. It'll be priceless just to network with these folks, to say nothing of the presentations on the state of the art.
http://www.fabtechaws.com/index.php/edu_programs/iebw_session1If you get there and think it's a sales pitch and not the world's leading minds on the topic, they will give you your money back.
There will also be a half-day free tutorial on EBW:
http://www.fabtechaws.com/?/edu_programs/iebw_student_tutorial/Ross
AWS Marketing