What Is the Best Day to Schedule a Business Workshop?

Business workshops help professionals acquire more industry-specific knowledge to enhance their skills and performance. The optimal time to schedule a business workshop depends on the business, the target audience and the other responsibilities that employees have throughout the week. Knowing when you are likely to have the most attendees helps you determine the best day of the week to schedule your workshop.

If the majority of participants work full-time jobs with a standard Monday through Friday workweek, a Saturday or Sunday workshop might garner the biggest turnout. The participants likely are off work on those days and available to attend the workshop. Having the entire weekend blocked off for a two-day workshop is more feasible for some than having participants take time off during the work week. Sunday evening might work better for individuals who attend church services in the morning.

The beginning and end of the work week tend to be busier for many workers. Because Wednesday is in the middle of the work week, it might not be as busy as other times. Employees might not have as many responsibilities in the middle of the week, making it an ideal time to have the workshop. According to Fred Gleek who has conducted over 1,400 seminars, Wednesday is the best day to have a business workshop if someone else is paying employees to attend.

Tuesday is another midweek option for workshops. Business advisor Andrew Jensen says that when respondents had a choice, they accepted Tuesday meetings at 3 p.m. He says Tuesday meetings are preferable for productivity and participation reasons.

Employees might be planning on going to the beach or gambling in Vegas over the weekend. However, if the workshop will be conducted in-house, having a Friday workshop will make the regular work week feel shorter. You might even see a higher attendance rating if employees are being compensated for their time and the workshop occurs during their normal work hours.

The optimal time is largely based on the demographics of the target audience. For example, if the audience consists of financial managers, scheduling at the first of the month or the end of the month is likely going to cause a problem with no-shows because they are busier at this time, regardless of the day of the week. Sales people might have meetings set up during their normal work hours and need a workshop scheduled during other times. Using a webinar provides additional flexibility for busy professionals who can't take a whole day out of their schedule. Additionally, a slow time of the week in the particular industry that you are targeting can also help increase attendance levels. An informal survey can help you determine which day works better for your audience.