People sometimes think that no one will notice if they don't attend a corporate event even though they've indicated that they will be there. The reality is that corporate events are planned and executed by real individuals who are trying to accurately assure that everyone who attends is warmly welcomed and well accommodated. Budget, name tags, food, beverages, handouts, room size and speaker expectations of audience size are a few of the variables the event planner is trying to manage The event planner is expecting you to be there when you accept the invitation. And he/she is expecting to know if your plans change.
This week, I witnessed something I've not seen before in my long career - the worst case scenario of everyone thinking that no one would notice if they didn't attend. Acceptances for an all colleague event were received from 131 employees. Actual attendance was 29.
Thankfully we did not have venue or hospitality expenses for this workday event. However, we had the embarrassment of billing a large audience to our talented internal speakers, while delivering a small, but engaged group.
When queried, the post event explanations from the no-shows largely favored client serving opportunities and included a few things beyond the colleague's control. Others clearly didn't realize that their response mattered.
Regardless of the nobleness of the reason for the change of plans, courtesy requires timely communication.
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