How to reduce no-shows at an event
Email and text reminders, practical details within reach, easy cancellation: what gets registered people to actually come.
Updated October 2026 · All guides
To reduce no-shows, remind people of the event at several moments: a week before, the day before and on the day, with the time, the place or the live stream link in the message. Make cancelling easy, so the seat goes to someone else. A text message on the day, sent to those who agreed to it, lands where people are looking. Measure the attendance rate at each edition to know what to adjust.
Step by step
Plan the reminder schedule
One reminder a week before to hold the date, one the day before for practical arrangements, one on the day for the time and the entrance. For an event announced long in advance, add a reminder a month before.
Put the essentials in every reminder
The time, the address or the live stream link, the badge, and the sessions where the person has a seat. A reminder that sends people looking for another email helps nobody.
Add a text on the day
A short text on the morning of the event, or an hour before a webinar. It only reaches people who gave their number and ticked a consent box: plan both fields in the registration form.
Make cancelling easy
Someone who can no longer come should be able to say so in one click. Their seat goes back to the waiting list, and your attendance forecast stays accurate.
Send news in between
The programme taking shape, a speaker announced, networking opening: news between registration and the event reminds people why they signed up.
Measure attendance
Compare the number of people present with the number registered, at each edition. That figure tells you whether the reminders work.
The most common mistakes
- Sending a single reminder, three weeks before: it is forgotten by the day.
- Sending texts without consent. Besides the legal risk, an unexpected text brings more complaints than attendance.
- Planning nothing for cancellations: a seat freed without a waiting list stays empty.
Doing it with LiveEvent
In LiveEvent, the D-30, D-15, D-10, D-7, D-3, D-1, “It’s today” and “It’s now” reminders go out on their own once enabled, in each participant’s language, and the “Your sessions” block lists their workshops. Texts go out through your organization’s Brevo account, to participants who agreed to it.
Frequently asked questions
- When should the last reminder go out?
- On the day: in the morning for an in-person event, between fifteen minutes and an hour before the start for an online live stream, with the link to join.
- Does a text replace the reminder email?
- No. The email carries the badge and the details; the text serves on the day, for a short message: the time, the entrance, a room change.
- Should I write to people who did not come?
- Yes, after the event: an email with the replay or the materials gives them what they missed, and tells you who is still interested in the next edition.