Practical implications of preference-based conference scheduling

Conference scheduling involves organizing presentations into sessions which are assigned to time periods and rooms. This includes assuring a feasible utilization of time periods and rooms, and avoiding individual schedule conflicts. The problem increases in complexity by considering the preferences of presenters: for time periods, for rooms, etc. A greater level of complexity comes from considering the preferences of conference attendees, which we define as preference-based conference scheduling (PBCS). The article provides a structure on which PBCS problems are founded, including empirical demonstration of solution techniques. In addition, real-world strategic planning issues of flexibility and preference detail are explored.