The conference wasn't for anything important. Other clubs held conferences at the end of the year, so Ruling Sword felt obliged to do the same. During this period of time, they often had gatherings outside of the game to build a connection with each other.
The end of the year was often a good time for players to change guilds, as this was when competitors finished the last of their matches.
More communication could definitely help to reduce the chances of competitors leaving the guild.
Ruling Sword didn't have the capability of head-hunting. They had only managed to pick up Mu Qiu, whose chances of appearing on stage increased significantly after he joined Ruling Sword. Fortunately, his performance had been stellar so far. No one could do the head-hunting job better than someone who has reincarnated, but Ruling Sword just couldn't afford it.