How to cut no-shows at a tasting, workshop or supper

Why booked seats go empty

You run something small: a wine tasting for twelve, a Saturday workshop, a supper at one long table. An empty chair is a seat you could have sold and food you already bought. Most guests who stay away mean no harm.

They booked in a DM two weeks ago and forgot. Their plans changed and writing to cancel felt awkward. They had not paid, so staying home cost them nothing. Or they were not sure of the time or the address and gave up.

Each of these has a fix you can put in place before your next event.

Send a reminder on the morning of the event

A reminder a week ahead gets read and forgotten. Send it on the day, in the morning. By then people know what their evening looks like, and you still have hours to fill a seat that comes back.

Keep it short: the event, the time and the address, how many seats they booked, anything to know such as parking or a door code, and how to cancel. That last line matters most. A reminder with no way out makes people feel guilty and stay quiet. A reminder with one gives you the seat back while you can still use it.

By hand, write one message, copy it to everyone on the list by 10 in the morning, and set an alarm the evening before so it happens.

Make cancelling easier than not showing up

When cancelling means an apology in a DM, many guests take the easier path and stay home. When it takes two taps, they cancel. So put the way to cancel in the confirmation and in the reminder, say plainly that cancelling helps you ("If you can't make it, cancel here so someone else gets the seat"), and ask for it by a set time, such as noon on the day. When a seat comes back, post it in a story. People who missed out the first time move fast.

Take payment when they book

Someone who has paid plans their evening around it. Someone who said "I'll send it later" often does not, and holds a seat the whole time. If you take bank transfers, send the amount, the IBAN and a reference in one message or a QR code, set a deadline and keep to it, and count a seat as taken only once the money is in. Card payment at booking removes the chasing: the guest pays, the seat is theirs, and you see who has paid without opening your banking app.

Write one sentence on refunds

Decide before you publish the event, not when the first awkward message arrives. "Full refund if you cancel at least 48 hours before. After that, send a friend in your place." Put it in the event description and repeat it in the confirmation, and keep it the same across your events so guests learn it once.

No refunds is fair for a supper where you buy for exact numbers. Say so up front.

Check the guest list in the afternoon

Go through the list once. Compare confirmed seats with the number you are preparing for. Message a booking with no phone number or a name you do not know ("See you at 7?"). Check who has paid and who pays at the door, and note dietary requests. A no-show you would notice at 19:15 becomes a free seat at 15:00.

After the event, mark who did not come. Over a few months you see which day or format brings empty chairs, and whether a name repeats. Someone who misses twice can pay in advance next time.

Where STOL fits

STOL sends the reminder at 08:00 venue time on the day, with a link the guest uses to change or cancel. A guest cancels an unpaid booking from it, the seat goes back on your page and your team gets an Alert. You set the refund window in hours and guests see it when they book.

On Plus, guests pay by card when they book, €22 a month without VAT. STOL takes no cut of ticket sales, you pay the card fee, and a paid ticket is cancelled by you, so the refund stays your decision. The whole team sees the day on the Board and marks who arrived, and on Plus, Statistics counts no-shows over 7, 30 or 90 days.

STOL does not charge a no-show fee or hold a deposit on a table. The money is between you and the guest.

If you want the reminder, the cancel link and the guest list in one place, create your page or set it up from ChatGPT or Claude. The first 7 days are free, no card. Questions go to support.