The Main Event by Memory Makers Event Planning, LLC

If you have planned an event in the last few years and asked invitees to RSVP, you may have encounted resistance, or, worse yet, people who RSVPed they were coming, but didn't show, leaving you with possibly hundreds of dollars in wasted food. The trend seems to be getting worse with each passing year. RSVP is French for "Respond, please." It means just that. Invitees need to respond even if they do not plan to attend. Those planning the event need to know how much food to order, how many tables and chairs to rent, how many servers to engage and other issues. Invitations include response cards or a phone number or e-mail for a reason. If guests fail to respond to an invitation to a social event, the hosts may have to spend hours making phone calls. If it is a business event and you fail to respond, you won't be tracked down. Rather, you will be embarrassed when you arrive and are not expected. In years past, people failed to respond but still came to the eve...

Yesterday I coordinated an event to which 180 people returned their RSVPs indicating they would attend. However, when the event occurred, only 85 guests were present. Think of the food that was ordered and not consumed, of the unused space that was rented, the tables, chairs, and linens that were needed to accommodate 180 people. Think of the money the hosts lost needlessly because of the thoughtlessness of their friends. This situation is becoming increasingly common the last couple of years. It isn't just a few people who fail to attend, but as many as 1/3 of the guest list or more. When the hosts go through their invitation lists, they discover that most of the no-shows are work associates or casual acquaintances. Certainly emergencies occur at the last minute, but surely 95 people didn't all have emergencies yesterday. The problem is more likely caused by co-workers who say they will attend, but when the day arrives their spouse balks at attending an event where they don...