Reducing no-shows

No-shows aren't rudeness; they're economics. A free RSVP costs nothing to abandon, so 40–60% of free-event lists do. Every intervention that works either adds a cost to abandoning or removes a friction from attending.

The price lever (it's most of the answer)

• Free events: 40–60% no-show is normal. Even £3 drops it to ~15%; £10+ typically lands under 8%.
• Refundable deposits ('£5, refunded at the door or off your first drink') keep free-event accessibility while attaching a cost to flaking.
• For genuinely-free community events, overbook against your measured no-show rate rather than fighting it.

Reminders that move numbers

1. T-7 days: excitement content — what's coming, who else is in.
2. T-24h: practicals — times, address, entry, weather. The single highest-impact message.
3. T-3h: 'doors at 7, ticket attached' with the QR right there. Wallet passes (see Apple Wallet) do this automatically via lock screen.

Make not-coming useful

A visible 'can't make it?' path — name transfer or waitlist release — converts silent no-shows into recovered capacity. Waiting lists that auto-sell returned tickets (standard on some platforms) turn a sold-out event's no-shows back into revenue and let fans bail guilt-free, which they repay by coming next time.