That's so U-n-b-i-z-n-i-k-l-i-k-e!

Hi Andrew, I know where you are coming from. It happens all the time. And I know we at least have the courtesy of sending a private message or posting a cancellation note on the event if we do have to cancel.

The big question is what is the solution? Require a 48 hour cancellation? What about last minute emergencies? And since most events are free, no money is lost. It will be interesting to see what ideas come out of this.

I think the big thing here is common courtesy. Don't cancel unless you really have to (not that I just don't feel like going now) and let your host know.

I recently had to cancel at the last hour for an event that had limited space. I made a point of contacting not only all of the people who had made mention of an interest in attending the event should space open, but other people I knew who would like to attend regardless of expressing an original interest. I felt I had a responsibility to the host. Unfortunately I was not able to fill the spot, but not for lack of trying.

On a side note, I am organizing a large open house event today for a client. We sent out over 800 invitations....yes hand stuffed and stamped. The invite clearly asked for an RSVP and while we did not expect everyone to RSVP, I expected more than the TWO PEOPLE that did respond. What is with people in Seattle not RSVP'ing?? Back east you don't RSVP you don't get in.

I'm going to respectfully disagree with Andrew on the RSVP thing - in Detroit, where my family is from, if you don't RSVP, you don't go. Period. I've hosted parties (ranging from casual to formal) where people who RSVP don't show up, and those who don't RSVP end up on my doorstep! My family in the Midwest (as well as Florida, for that matter) would consider that the height of rudeness. I do think it's "worse" here in Seattle - just as we are, on the whole, more casual in general than other parts of the country. I'll take it, though - I'd rather live here than anywhere else!

I do think that because Biznik events are mostly free, people find it easier to no-show or cancel at the last minute. I have been guilty of the latter - cancelling within a few hours of an event - but I usually try, like Elizabeth, to find someone to take my spot, especially if it's a smaller and/or in-demand event.

One thought: perhaps being a no-show could negatively affect your Biznik ranking? I'm not passionately attached to that idea, as I sort of consider the no-show thing to be a fairly predictable phenomenon...

Although, the no-show rate for my free biznik events probably averages 20-30%, I have started promoting my events in other ways and garnering quiet a few non-bizniks showing up. They usually end up joining Biznik at my request and many have become very good networking friends.

I don't give the "no-show" situation much thought other than to make a mental note about the individuals who fail to formally cancel. After all, the purpose of meeting is to increase your friendship to a level of trust so that you can actually share referrals with them.

It astonishes me that people will not consider the importance of proper RSVP-ing and the affect it has on their reputation when they do not keep the commitment. This is an additional way to vet your referral relationships.

So I think ultimately, this is a positive experience that helps you choose (over time) who you really want to do business with (read refer biz also). I have collected a few personal stories of large referrals that I have with-held from Bizniks because of their poor manners.

Don't forget that everyone is always watching and personally evaluating. I love this community. ...Howard

This is a tough one. One lunch, we had 5 people, I think, either cancel that morning or not show at all. It is not good, especially when there were people who couldn't get in.

On the other hand, Bob and I have had a last-minute conflict or two and sometimes it just can't be helped. And as hosts, when we see cancellations (early enough), we take it on ourselves to e-mail a few people who we think might be interested. I notice that other people do that, too.

I wish it could be intention—whether someone is just blowing it off or they actually had an emergency. But then how would you prove that.

Valerie's comment about cancellations and biznik ranking reminded me of something. Someone a while back suggested that after so many no-shows you get a black badge on your biznik profile page. I'm sure he was just kidding but I had to smile picturing that. Kind of like a kid who was sent to the corner for misbehaving.

Perhaps if we continue the discussion, some good solutions will emerge.

Howard, what an astute observation. You are right. If someone is that flaky with a free event, what will they be like to work with/do business with? Will they miss deadlines because "something came up?"

After all, it's all about know, like and trust.

On the one hand, the Black Badge idea makes me snicker and say, "yeah... brand them!" I wouldn't want to see it happen seriously, because I think it could make people worry too much about whether they're going to "get in trouble."

Or maybe that's just me recalling getting kicked out of high school geometry class one too many times.

I agree with Howard in that eventually people will notice the RSVP Bandits and see them as untrustworthy in the end; so they hurt themselves by flaking out. What could be worse than having your business seen as flaky and unfocused?

However, I do think some sort of accountability measure would be a good idea. Sometimes it can be all too easy to click an RSVP button on a whim, versus having to mail, e-mail, or speak with someone directly to say yes or no.

I know that when I have to interact with someone directly it makes me feel more connected and therefore more accountable to them.

I hope I'm being concise here. It's hard to think with this nose on.

I have done several Events and I always have had several no shows. As long as I had a good number show up, I still was able to do what I planned. I have had Events where it was 2 instead of several, but I still made them feel welcome and I did show them what I wanted to teach; it worked out.

I have hosted very few Events. I take my time to create an opportunity and experience that will give the members something to use the following day.

I have made every effort to give back to the communities. That’s why I am a member. It’s not right to not attend, but it is a direct issue of of the group. I agree that stuff happens, but still an e-mail or a quick call makes all the difference. My response is to build a better Event and see if I can get everyone to show up.

With my current event I limited it to 6 people. It's not only filled, but I already have requests to attend and if it goes well, I will offer it next month. We’ll see.

David

Great discussion, guys. I actually differ with the subject of this discussion. From my experience, not showing up for a Biznik event is VERY Biznik-like.

Since the beginning of Biznik there's been a pretty consistent 20% no-show rate on free events. Add as little as a $5 fee and the no-show rate is reduced to 1% and 2%. Over the last year, I've watched the no-show rate increase to 30% and 40%. Are people feeling more anonymous and therefore less accountable as the community grows in size?

No-shows are not uncommon in any industry. Look no further than the airline business. Getting bumped off a flight and scoring a free flight in the deal is something most everyone I know has experienced.

Dan and are victims of this with our monthly "Networking The Biznik Way" event. The table in the board room at Office Nomads can comfortably seat 12. The first couple times I hosted the event, I set the limit at 16. It would fill up instantly but 1/3 wouldn't show up. For this month's event last week, I set the limit at 30. It was FULL within a week of publishing. I told 3 or 4 people to simply show up. If you look at the discussion board on that event page you'll see 6 apologies which I think are fantastic, but only 15 people attended. In this case it was over a 50% no show rate when you factor in the people I invited to come without RSVPing.

The July 22 "Biznik Way" event has been full for weeks. I increased the RSVP limit to 34. I may increase it even more since I'd like to see 20 people be able to take advantage of this event on 7/22.

We experience a similar thing at our monthly "Indie Business Night" happy hours. Last night 81 people RSVP'd, 56 signed in.

Quick comment on "black badges" - cute idea. Let me state for the record, that it's not something we're entertaining right now, nor are we likely to for lots of reasons. ;)

Lara is right: People tend show up when they put something on the line. Putting even a small amount on your credit card is more of a commitment.

As an experiment, I suggest willing hosts start charging a small amount for your next few events and see how that goes--if they are value-based events and you are truly an expert in that area, you could and should charge more.

Even if you don't get as many initial sign-ups, the ones who do RSVP will most likely show and you can know what to count on and by knowing in advance how many people are serious about your event, you can try to fill remaining spots by sending personal invitations to people you'd like to have at your event, promote it more on biztalk, etc.

Although it sounds fun to impose some kind of integrity ethic--an integrity badge or 'I show up" rating on everyone's profile--A. that could come off as really annoying to bizniks and B. Dan and Lara have PLENTY of other stuff to do that will have greater impact for all of us. It's worth considering at some point.

What I like about an "I Show Up" rating vs. the skull and cross bones or black badge is that if someone gets a poor rating because they don't show up to their first event, it will ENCOURAGE them to go to multiple events to increase their rating. Skull and cross bones may cause them to remove their profile.

Wait, Karrie. I was just being a little sarcastic with the Black Badge. : )

I just found it kind of amusing to think about.

In my many years of education, I learned that positive reinforcement is the only way to go. You get much more from people if you approach it that way.

I do agree that tracking the attendance and including "I Show Up:" ratings on profiles would be very cumbersome and I don't think we want to go there.

This has been a great discussion, though, and Andrew has identified an issue that is worth talking about.

Judy, I addressed the black badge and skull ideas because this has been a conversation in the past on biznik and these types of solutions were mentioned before so I figure someone is taking them seriously. 

No shows are a problem and again, one way to solve it is for hosts to charge a small fee.  This would also be good for biznik.

A related issue is to get more hosts who offer VALUE-based events to charge enough to raise the bar here in the biznik community and to value themselves and what they offer more, which would, in turn, cause people to see more value in value-based events and help to set them apart from free or nominal fee events. 

The expectation for what things should cost and how much to value expertise is so terribly low in this community. It would be good for everyone (believe it or not) if there were more fee based events on biznik.

Any comments on charging a small fee for social events to encourage people to show up?

If we're going to switch the topic to fee-based vs. free events, some of you might be interested in a discussion on BizTalk about this that was started about 9 months ago:

Free Biznik Events vs. Small Fee-based Events - what do you prefer?

Lara,

I thought about charging $5 for my Business Marketing Strategy sessions.

But with Biznik taking the first $5 of every fee, I have no monetary incentive to do so. Perhaps you might institute a sliding scale for events at or below $10?

Joe

The $5 transaction fee helps cover the cost of credit card processing each registration, and the admin time it takes to manage the fees and cut a check to the event host.

From my understanding, this discussion is about cutting down on the no-show rate for FREE events, and not about monetary incentives for hosting the event in the first place.

If adding a small event fee is intended to cut down on the no-show rate, then I recommend the event host to set a fee of $1, which will appear as $6.

Dare I say, if the host was fine with hosting a FREE event, and it's not about the money, then hosts could always go one step further and donate the $1 fee back to Biznik. Afterall, Biznik is working every day to make this a thriving community everyone can benefit from. Some would say this is a worthy cause to make a donation to...

Honestly, I did chime in early...

After reading these posts, I, personally have come to the decision I like things as is-even though there are these issues of no shows. Sure there will be no shows, but hey, life goes on and in the end, I am happy with the events I host, and to be honest, a few people don't show up -- well, they missed a heck of a networking or educational event. It can be frustrating, but due to Biznik, we are all given the opportunity to host these events, and make the connections or share our knowledge with others.

And as Howard said, we know who you are!

Thanks for posting a great discussion Andrew. I have been a member of Biznik since February and I have signed up for 16 events and attended 15. I did call the host directly for the event I did not attend to explain my conflict and she was very understanding.

I recently received an email from a host about two days in advance with a "courtesy call" asking that if people are not going to be able to make it that they cancel their RSVP and if something happens the day of; to program their telephone number and make sure to call.

I think this did help some because they had 12 people signed up and 2 no shows. At their last event they had 10 people signed up and only 5 people showed.

However, for "no shows", they need to know there are people signing up for events (especially the free events) based on who they see are attending and who they would like to connect with. Not only is it disappointing for the host, but for the attendees hoping to meet someone and that someone is a "no show"; it does leave somewhat a bad impression. In addition, we all understand somethings come up, but the second time you try to meet someone and they don't show up, this will tend to change their view of wanting to meet this person and set their view on the competition.

Cheers!

Helen

Wow...

How many of you would refer business to those that no-call-no-show [NCNS]? Mentally you've branded that person [whether you like it or not] "not professional"/"not serious" and that is a loss to the individual that NCNSed.

Everyone wants to come across as a professional and as a serious business man/woman... fit the profile. These "little things"... are hurting their fellow event host and their Biznik neighbor who couldn't attend that event because that NCNSer had a RSVPed.

I want MORE great events and nothing is more encouraging to an event host than a packed room of attendees. Also, nothing is more discouraging than an empty room...

To all of you awesome people that host events -- hats off to you!

To all of you awesome event attendees that show up -- 1 hat off to you!

To all of you NCNSers... I send rats ~~~(,, ,,"> ~~~(,, ,,"> in your general direction! ~~~(,, ,,">

~~~~(,, ,,"> ~~(,, ,,"> ~~~~(,, ,,"> ~(,, ,,">

~~(,, ,,"> ~~~(,, ,,"> ~~(,, ,,">

~~~~(,, ,,"> ~~(,,,,"> ~~~~(,, ,,"> -(,, ,,">

~~~(,, ,,">

-Andrey

Well said Andrey, I hope the rats don't have rabies. However, the threat of the rat pack is much more intimidating than a black badge.

-Helen

I've been stunned and flummoxed by the non-RSVPing that goes on these days.

My wonderment started with watching no-responses on Evites.

Now I've seen the 30-50% no-shows for Biznik events, and I don't get it.

It's two-part you know. It's those who cancel at the last minute. But sh*t does happen, like my own fever/flu coming on just 2 hours before this week's McLeod event.

More annoying and rude though are those who just do not show and do not even cancel.

I've watched the previous Biz Talk threads about instituting some sort of Black Mark against members who flake out, and I was disinclined to go there. I guess maybe I still am, because the stuff of life does come up and interfere with even the most polite folks. But the degree of this no-show/no-cancel thing is absurd.

Perhaps the Black Marks could be in the back end algorithms? When event hosts mark attendance, they could also indicate which guests completely flaked; the indiscretion would count mathematically against a member's ranking, but wouldn't show up elsewhere.

See, aside from an annoyance to event hosts, no-shows/no-cancels are a pain to all of us who are hoping to attend an event, but cannot b/c it is Full ...

I'm afraid just don't see a token fee making a real difference in no-shows/no-cancels. Five bucks, heck that's just a gallon of gasoline--not a big loss ...

I try to keep no-shows to a minimum by offering an incentive to do some homework before hand and get a benefit from it.

I haven't done a lot of events through Biznik, but I have also openly said that if you RSVP and don't show or call, then you are not invited again. Personal accountability is a good method of getting people to realize that A) my time is important B) my attendees may or may not want to meet you and C) I have to plan for my event.

NCNS are inexcusable [99%]. If you were employed with a company... Most of the time after a NCNS you get terminated.

I understand someone getting into a car accident or had a family emergency... If a biznik event was equivalent to a court date.... I'm sure that NCNS would be below 5%...

Please respect your fellow Biznik members... I'm really disgusted in the NCNS because I have pride in this community that I'm a part of. [Those of you that have responded to this topic seem to share the same feelings...]

[In the support of no more NCNS... attach this "no rats" picture to your Biznik picture. JOKE!]

-Andrey

Well, you guys inspired me. I just wrote an article about this topic and quoted a few of you in it. I'll add a link here when Dan posts it in the Learn section. Thanks for kicking my butt because I was really overdue for writing an article!