Reduce no-shows at your event

Guests who do not show up to your event without canceling. No-show is often unavoidable, but it can be reduced with a personal approach combined with multiple touchpoints. Here is how to handle it!

Many organizers pay little attention to no-show issues, but almost always have to deal with them. For free events, the number of guests who fail to show up is between 10 and 30 percent, and for paid events, it is between 5 and 10 percent. This leads to unnecessary costs and waste. But how do you limit that?

Personal

Choose a personal approach. This starts with the invitations, so ensure an up-to-date address list so your invitation reaches the right person. Also, never forget to send a confirmation after registration, preferably even with a personal message; this makes a person feel welcome at your event. And should this person unexpectedly be unable to attend, the chance that they will properly cancel is much higher.

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Top of mind

An invitation to an event is often sent weeks prior to the event. There will be people who register immediately, but not everyone does. To ensure your event is not forgotten, it is good to remain top of mind. Send a reminder now and then as the final registration deadline approaches, or better yet, pick up the phone and personally explain why you would like to have someone at your event. What also works well is a text message sent the day before the event or on the morning of to all registered guests: 'Today is the day, we start at..., we look forward to seeing you!'

Tease

Use various social media channels to heavily promote your event. This ensures that interest in the event is sparked. A little teasing is perfectly fine, so no one even thinks about staying away.

Engagement

You can also use social media to create some early engagement. Start a discussion group about a topic that will also be covered during the event. Invite people who have already registered for your event to these thematic discussions. In this way, the event will come alive more, and the chance of no-shows will decrease. 

Awareness

Many people do not realize what it means when they decide not to show up without canceling. Therefore, make no-show a topic in an email/newsletter to all people who have registered. There will guaranteed be people who, because of this, will not dare to stay away anymore without letting you know.

Cancellation option

Finally, the number of no-shows can be reduced with an easy cancellation option. Ensure that people who have registered can also easily cancel without giving a reason. It might result in a few more cancellations than you would like, but your no-show rate will certainly be limited, which saves on costs and waste. 

Are you still looking for a unique venue for your business event? Theater Amsterdam offers many possibilities. Feel free to contact us.