Preference for days of the week for a business conference

[Ben Lowden]

We could do with some help from some fellow B2B PHers – if you were going to a two-day business conference from 09:00 – 15:00 in central London with some drinks and entertainment on the first night, what days of the week would be your preference?

[VEIGHT]

Drinks and entertainment?

Later in the week, I wouldn't fancy that tonight !

[Collectingbrass]

I'd say Thursday / Friday, but I would make the times 10 - 6 + drinks then 9 - 3 on the second day.

[grumbas]

Collectingbrass said:

I'd say Thursday / Friday, but I would make the times 10 - 6 + drinks then 9 - 3 on the second day.

This, but possibly Weds/Thurs, Friday is a popular WFH day.

[Ben Lowden]

Thanks for all the input, much appreciated!

[2 sMoKiN bArReLs]

Having the do at the end of day one is the obvious day...but it often wrecks day two!

[MattyD803]

Monday and Friday are a complete no go for a business conference IMO.....OK, there may be the odd exception on the Friday, if that has perhaps included a fully expensed Thursday night stay over with a few colleagues and Friday morning is nothing more than travel home....but generally, keep it to what I personally consider, "the core days"....

[iphonedyou]

Thursday / Friday here and as said above, 3pm finish on the Friday so people can get off home. Definitely wouldn't say it's a complete no go, not at all.

These things are often interminable - the idea of doing a two day conference mid-week then having to finish out the week working doesn't appeal so much as knowing you're done for the week once you leave.

With that said, you inevitably get a backlog of work and a mid-week conference gives you the Friday to get through some of that before the weekend.

[Mr Overheads]

Unless everyone lives in London don't start it at 9am if it's finishing at 3 on day 1. Make it 11 til 5. The 2 hour shift forward affects no one but gives those coming further plenty of travel leeway.

[Newc]

Mr Overheads said:

Unless everyone lives in London don't start it at 9am if it's finishing at 3 on day 1. Make it 11 til 5. The 2 hour shift forward affects no one but gives those coming further plenty of travel leeway.

This for sure. What is everyone going to do on day 1 from 3pm to dinner ? Better to just move seamlessly into drinks from the last session.

I voted Wed/Thu but Thu/Fri can work well so long as you finish promptly 3pm and don't expect much productivity on day 2.

Is attendance required / monitored ? If not people will start to slope off after lunch day 2.

Is it a business sector with a party culture ? Day 2 early sessions will be a write off if so.

If attendees are mostly from outside london then don't do Thu/Fri because then they'll be competing with weekly commuters and leisure travellers on the train home.

[Ben Lowden]

Thank you all for the feedback, very much appreciated. The timing was very rough – I think that would apply to day 2 but will be different on day 1 for the reasons given to allow people to travel in and transition more smoothly to drinks etc.

Looks like Weds/Thurs is the clear winner by a long way!

[Chrisgr31]

Don’t start Day 2 too early. It’s not great for the presenters when half the delegates haven’t turned up as they are eating breakfast trying to clear their hangovers!

[soxboy]

When I used to travel to that there London for similar work events we had them on Wednesday to Thursday. Friday would be a write off for any sort of conference as people may be hungover in the morning and then just thinking about getting home for the weekend from lunchtime onwards, plus it's hardly fair to expect people to travel for work later in a Friday.

It used to work out quite well finishing on a Thursday as I could then blag an extra night on the firm to meet contacts for lunch on Friday. I would then often make a weekend of it either catching up with friends in London/Essex or later my now Mrs SB coming down.

[Ben Lowden]

Thanks for the continued feedback