In both the library module and develop module, you can choose which panels not to display. That might simplify things for you. In the module picker (upper right corner) you can choose any module(s) to not be displayed. I don't think those modules slow down LrC when not in use. As for dealing with thousands of images from events, have you looked at Photo Mechanic? You can use Photo Mechanic to quickly whittle down those thousands of images to just the ones you want to process in LrC, eliminating the much slower process of importing, creating previews and culling in LrC.
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