No-Shows Create Stress, Wreak Havoc on Events

No-shows impact every type of business event, from hosted VIP meetings to association conventions to more intimate cocktail gatherings. Events with no registration fee often see no-show rates as high as 40 to 60%, while the rate for paid events is closer to 10 to 20%.

Intimate gatherings are the hardest hit, as one anonymous planner of hosted buyer events for meeting planners explained. With only 30 slots, she always plans for a 20% last-minute dropoff — but sometimes even the backups bail. “I realize everyone is overextended, but with such a small group, you really notice those empty seats. It puts me in a difficult position with our sponsors.”

Her 20% drop-off rate looks luxurious to Alix Mendonca, director, regional sales at Prestige Global Meeting Source. He co-hosts a networking group for event professionals called the “Just Because Happy Hour” every other month in Seattle and Palm Springs. The events are free, and the attendance is a mix of hotel salespeople, event planners, and others from the industry.

“In Seattle, we’ve been doing the event for almost 9 years and we regularly get 300 RSVPs. Without fail, this translates to at least a 50% no-show rate,” he said.

Even worse, for his recent Palm Springs event for 68 people, only 15 people showed up — and that was after he reached out to each one of them personally. “And these are people in the events world!” he said.

What’s Going On?

Some planners trace these high rates to new ways of thinking about personal time and priorities since Covid. “People are protecting their time more, so if they have a conflict, it’s easy for them to just decide it’s more important than your event,” said Lacey Hein, director of sourcing and event services at Planner Hero.

Event calendars are also more crowded than ever. Kali Knaack, director of event management at the San Diego Tourism Authority, discovered this while planning a spa event for potential customers in Washington, D.C. “Multiple other industry events were scheduled during the same week, including another spa event. We’ve even had to shift our event dates in the past in response to another prominent organization’s event that we knew we couldn’t compete with.”

There’s also a lack of understanding among attendees of the fallout that occurs from no-shows. “I do honestly believe that these people think that their actions do not affect others, but they do,” said Mendonca. 

“RSVPs are important commitments,” said Knaack. “While some attendees may approach RSVPs casually, these numbers are essential for event planners — not only for logistical purposes but also for accurate budgeting and ensuring a high-quality experience for everyone.”

What Can Planners Do?

Charging people to attend, or creating a penalty for no-shows, are two potential solutions. 

“Free events are hard, so putting any skin in the game with paid registration seems to help,” said one anonymous planner from a tech company, whose drop-off rates have historically remained around 20% for free events and 10% for paid ones. 

Knaack says that location has become a critical factor for her events, which take place across the country. “With more professionals working remotely, we are exploring suburban venues or hosting multiple events — one in the city and one in the suburbs — to provide attendees with convenient options. The feedback we’ve received  is that many are reluctant to travel downtown, particularly if there is traffic or adverse weather.”

Other strategies range from starting a Slack channel so attendees can get to know each other in advance, to offering incentives for attendee referrals (though even free Maui Jim sunglasses did not help Hein with a recent roadshow), to adding a mandatory online check-in, like the airlines do for flights.

“We send out save-the-dates early, but we don’t always nurture the excitement afterward,” said Rebecca Yousif, senior administrator-event technology at Team People. “At the end of the day, people come when they feel connected, curious, and involved — not just notified.”