I am an owner of a small renovation company and as it is I work 12-16 hours per day building my business. Taking a few days off to maybe see/learn new technology will be a bigger burden to smaller firms like mine.

I have no office per se (my home office) for a lunch and learn and I get 100 phone calls per day.

Every project I take on requires innovative thinking and research for the best product for the project.

Can I count the hours I spend doing research in my pj's at midnight?

People who I know who have to have CE's make them up or attend 'snorinars' where they sign a piece of paper in a overheated hotel ballroom and do not learn many practical things. (I am sure there is something learned - but the value for time is highly questionable)

Let the free market weed out the folks who do not keep up.