Is it worth attending the Grace Hopper conference without presenting anything as a first year PhD student?

GHC is less of a research conference and more of a networking and educational event. They had over 12,000 attendees last year but only ~700 presenters, so clearly most people do not present anything.

I've known several people to go (Masters and PhD students) and none of them have presented. They all loved it and at least one got a job out of it.

You'll get to listen to some great talks, attend workship-like events, interview with many companies, and meet a lot of other students. It seems like a great experience so you should definitely consider it.

The scholarship applications just recently opened, which would cover your costs of traveling and attending the event.

I signed up just so I could say: YES. Go to Grace Hopper. As a woman in tech it has been one of the most incredible experiences of my life. The chance just to feel represented -- to talk to random women and have them be knowledgeable about all sorts of aspects of programming -- it is something you will be hard pressed to find anywhere else in the world.

(I see the rules say to avoid "Making statements based on opinion". This is clearly based on my opinion... sorry :) )