You don't have to negotiate something that has little value or no value. Lose more than gain it boils down to figuring out what the costs will mean to you at the end of everything . If your involvement in a conference is sure to cost more then avoid it. It could be the case that you are giving away something of value to gain something of little value. On the other hand, if you are already sure that getting involved will make you more money, then you have a different set of considerations.
Know your limits – If you are not comfortable with the idea of discussing the issues of the day, with people who are not close friends, then don't. If you are afraid that what you say will be misinterpreted or somehow twisted and used against you, then don't. People will always twist information and use it against you, so this is a matter of risk assessment. It