I agree that 6 PM seems kind of early for dinner, especially if it's not that close to the seminar location. Seems like at the very least, there should be some "buffer time" to allow for "shooting the shiznit" as bhatnasx so eloquently put it.

I'm interested in going, but don't particularly care for "loud" places. I like to be able to carry on a conversation without shouting. But maybe that's just because I'm an old fogey, and younger folks just love to shout and don't really care if they are able to hear themselves or each other.