I've been to annual meetings before, and they are NOTHING to be excited about. The gilead graduation was much more "palpable" because the liquor flowed from mid-morning to the late evening.
I remember being invited to an annual meeting some years ago by an older Bethel overseer and his wife that I liked. I thought I was going to the Stanley Theater, but NOOOOOOO, ended up watching/listening to it at Watchtower Farms. Bummmer. It cost me $600 airfare, a rental car for 3 days, and motel cost at the Watchtower Melba Toast Inn near Walkill. The meeting consisted of a few branch overseers giving reports about how the preaching work was doing in their countries. Basically, year book material first hand. (You remember the yearbook that nobody ever read?)
It was still/freshly rumored about the Watchtower Melba Toast Motel manager who was an elder having sex in the motel rooms with the young good looking pioneers working as house keepers. One ended up getting pregnant and he had her move into his house with his family. Eventually, his misconduct was revealed.
Backstory: In years past there were many younger sisters that moved around Bethel to find marriage material, the sisters would live together in rental homes and work at Patterson or Watchtower farms mostly in some sort of construction support while at the same time working secularly for money. When I was single waiting to get visas to enter countries to do branch construction I met many nice young ladies/ummm sisters.;) .
Anyway, That was the first and last time I spent any money on the "vacation" from hell to nowhere annual meeting to attend a kingdom hall meeting where I had to pack more meeting clothes than socks! Back at home, the well to do elders would flaunt that they had gone to the annual meeting as if they should be worshipped because they were so close to the hub of the organization the "Governing Body". This weekend will be another let down of exponential terms. Szzznznznznznznznz. I think I'll go see the 3D movie Gravity, with Sandra Bullock and George Clooney. That should be "palpable".