I was there and like you, I could have sworn they said it wasn't important until after you're selected for an interview. There was a lot of information being given and I easily could have missed it or misunderstood it. I've asked a couple of friends of mine who were there also and they heard it the way I did.
I thought it was a great event also, but a little short changed on the "networking" portion. A couple of people I talked to (attendees) agreed the last portion felt a little like trying out to be a contestant on the bachelorette.