In case you haven't heard, two of the biggest start-up conferences are going down—and head-to-head—this week. TechCrunch50, the conference headed by the bloggers behind TechCrunch, and DEMOfall, the granddaddy of start-up conferences, are running at the same time this year, with the former in San Francisco and the latter in San Diego.

So what's it mean for you?

While much of these conferences are dedicated to glad-handing and ego-stroking, it is a good opportunity to see what other entrepreneurs are doing. After all, the stated point of these conferences (other than to make money for the organizers) is to put a hand-picked bunch of entrepreneurs in front of potential investors and the public. TechCrunch50, as the name implies, gives 50 start-ups the opportunity to pitch their business, while DEMOfall features 72 entrepreneurs this round.

VentureBeat has extensive coverage of both events, which is worth reading (and watching—tons of live video). It's a great chance for wannabe entrepreneurs to get a look not only at other start-ups, but how they're pitching their business. And if nothing else, it's interesting just for the drama alone. The founders of each of the respective conferences have been smack talking each other publicly for the past few months and, hey, who doesn't love a good geek fight?

Interested? Check out this live feed of TechCrunch50: