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But this morning, no matter the hours they had kept, no matter the time difference of the various countries they have come from, and no matter the few stutters that are common in a little place like this, delegates turned up in numbers to the opening of the 11th Australian national Linux conference at the convention centre in Wellington.
Two who could not make it were the the Ruthvens, Andrew and Susanne, the co-organisers, who are reportedly down with a stomach bug, which their newborn child has also contracted.
After having taken the birth of a child and moving house in their stride, it looks like the bug is the straw that finally broke the camel's back.
In their absence, media liaison Glynn Foster did the honours at the formal - so far as the LCA can be described using such a word - opening of the conference, ably aided by sponsorship co-ordinator Andrew McMillan.
With the Ruthvens temporarily out of action, and Foster taking over the role of chief admin, McMillan has found himself busy tending to the media; he was on radio this morning, promoting the conference.
When 500 or 600 people descend on a city like Melbourne or Sydney, the effect is not as noticeable as when that number crowds into a small place like Wellington. Given the compact way in which this city is organised, the conference is a lot more visible to the rest of the populace.
