This is one reason I didn't pursue a PhD (along with my inability to get excited about Public Administration as a field). I despised conferences, from giving talks to four people because I was scheduled at the worst time, to being corrected by strangers on some phrase I used. I did have to laugh at the letters I received from nefarious fake conference purveyors that began with Dear Dr. Campbell. More power to you for getting your PhD, it's not a path for sissies.