Simon Willison’s Weblog

When is a good day to hold a conference?

23rd September 2013

My answer to When is a good day to hold a conference? on Quora

It depends on your audience.

If it’s a conference that people will be attending on their own time (and with their own money) such as a hack day or an event about how to quit your job and start your own company it should be on a weekend.

If it’s a business event that will be treated as work and paid for by employers, it should be during the week—otherwise you make it hard for people to attend who wish to spend the weekend with their families (not such an issue for early 20s developers, a much bigger deal for 30+ professionals).

If people are likely to travel to it it’s good to have it touching a weekend so attendees have the option to arrive early (or stay a few days after) and explore the area.