Pick a date and time people can actually make
The best event on the wrong night is a half-empty room. How to pick the day, the start time and the length, and how much notice to give.
The Valore team · 2 min read
The date shapes turnout more than almost anything else, and it's the decision hosts spend the least time on. A great night clashing with a long weekend, a big game or a rival event will still look empty.
Check for conflicts first
- Public and school holidays, and the weekends around them, when people travel.
- Big local events, like sports finals, festivals, conferences and other hosts' regulars in your scene.
- Your audience's calendar. Accountants vanish in tax season, students in exam weeks, retail workers in December.
- Religious observances that matter to your guests.
Pick the right night and start time
For professional events like meetups, talks and mixers, Tuesday to Thursday usually works best. Monday people are catching up, and by Friday they want to be with their own friends. Start late enough to get there from work but early enough that the night still feels long; somewhere between 6 and 7pm is typical.
Social events like parties and dinners work best on Friday and Saturday evenings. Daytime weekend events, like brunches, picnics and kids' parties, compete with errands and sports, so keep them short and give the end time.
Decide the length, and say it
Always publish an end time, even a rough one. People who know a talk ends at 8:30 can plan dinner around it; people who don't sometimes skip it. Make the official program shorter than you think, and let the hang-out afterwards run long.
Give the right amount of notice
Invite too early and it slips out of people's heads; too late and their calendars are already full. Around three to four weeks' notice suits most social events, with a reminder the week of. Conferences, weddings and anything people travel for need two months or more.
