Thinking out loud here. I get the impression that workshops are before events because they are “warm-ups”, “chances to get to know other participants”, or “getting upto speed” before the main conference.

People do indeed have a tendancy to leave before the conference is over, which would mean that they might not stay for workshops after the conference.

However, if the workshop is seen as going deeper into some of the topics touched upon in the conference (in the case of an educational conference like Going Solo), wouldn’t it make sense to do the workshop after?

Is there an economical reason for conference organisers not to do them after? For example, has it been experienced that less people sign up for workshops if they’re after the event?

Somebody pointed out that you’re wiped out after the conference. True. That is why I’m keeping the main conference a single day.

Are there other reasons for holding workshops before the main event rather than after? Actually, come to think of it, ParisWeb held their workshops the day after the conference (which was a 2-day event). It went quite well if I remember correctly.

Are there any other examples?

You may comment on FriendFeed. Check out my Seesmic video on the topic, too.