The ball has been dropped, the confetti has been thrown, the horns have been blown, and all the champagne has been toasted. The new year has officially arrived but none of your party guests ever showed. After all the hard work and planning it took to put your New Year’s Eve party together, it would be hard to overcome this reality. Don’t throw in the towel yet though! There may be a reason why people did not show. Let’s explore some reasons people fail to make it to parties.
Not enough advertising/ people forgot
When trying to get the word out about something, there can never be too much advertising. I know, it’s a lot of work and its time consuming but in the end, advertising heavily ultimately gets you the result you want. When you are hosting a large event, you want to be in everyone’s face about it. You want them to see and hear about your event everywhere they go. They log onto Twitter, boom, they see your tweet. They go on a jog, they breeze past your flyer. They are leaving the grocery store; your printout is sliding on the door in front of them. Advertise anywhere and in any mode possible. Use everything to your advantage when it comes to advertising. Along with weak advertising, people can tend to forget about your event as well. If there is not enough advertising, there is not enough reminders throughout the day to make someone pull out their phone and put your event in their calendar or text their friend about it.
Short notice to party guest/ already had plans
This goes along with advertising. New Year’s Eve is a big night and it is the 4th most celebrated holiday. That means people do not mess around with making their big plans for that night. Getting the word out early about your party is the best way to go. Start advertising lightly about a month, to a month and a half, out from the time of your event. As time goes on, increase the amount of your advertising. The goal is to get the thought of your party out there before people start making other plans to fill their night with.
People travel to see family for the holidays
Holidays are a big deal. People use the holidays as a time to gather around with friends and family. This could drastically influence your party attendance, either for the best or for the worst. People in your area could bring all their out of town friends and family to your party or, people could take all their business right out of your town. Those who don’t travel for the holidays may feel that since all their friends are gone for the night, they aren’t about to venture out alone. So they choose to stay in for the night as well.
Your area does not have the clientele needed to support a good party
This is sad to say but some places just do not have the cliental needed to support a great big New Year’s party. If you are in a place like New York City and received no guest, then something else must have went wrong. However, if you are in a place like Guthrie Oklahoma with a population of only 11,000, we may have found your problem. Before hosting a large party, you have to know your client base. How many people are in your surrounding area and what is the areas personality like? If this is an area where there normally isn’t much nightlife, it’s a safe bet to say there may not be a large turnout for an event that last late into the tiny hours of the night.
People don’t want to spend the money to party when they can do it at home
People know that going out is most likely going to lead to a good time. They also know that going out is not a cheap thing to do. People usually end up paying for multiple drinks, food, and sometimes a fee to get through the door on New Year’s Eve. Some people may just feel that they can have about the same amount of fun in the comfort of their own home and spend less doing it.
There was another more established party close by
When you are a first time party host it can be hard to get established depending on the businesses around you. If there is a famous party in your area that is well known and has been around for a while, people tend to stay loyal. That being said, it is not impossible to get just as much, if not more, party guests than the famous party just up the street. Next year, make your party stick out. Create a funky theme, offer something special to guests to draw them in such as samples of a new drinks. Maybe offer your guests a special deal such as buy one set of party favors, get the second set free. Step out of your comfort zone just a little to make an investment in the earnings of your future parties.
Some people don’t like the thought of spending the last night of the old year with family and friends in a place they can’t hear them talk and surrounded by strangers.
Some people get sentimental on the last night of the old year. They don’t want to end up spending the last moments of a year that will never come again in a place with loud music, people moving everywhere, and a lousy view of the ball being dropped. If this seems to be something the majority of your clientele dislikes, you could try having a calm and elegant party.
People don’t want to figure out how to get home after they have been drinking all night
The struggle is real with this one. New Years Eve is a night of drinking for most people. They know that if they go out there is going to be drinking involved. Their options of getting home are slim. Nobody wants to be the designated driver on such a big night and flagging down a taxi at the time of night everyone needs a ride home, is challenging and very time consuming. People may also be afraid that if they leave their car parked overnight to ride a taxi home, by morning there will be a parking ticket on their dash or their car ended up being towed at their expense.
People are tired…they have work
Most people have off on New Year’s Day to eat pork and sauerkraut with their family members. However, most people have to work the day of New Year’s Eve. That means partying late into the night is not something most people have the energy to do. There are very few people out there that have the energy to work a full 8 hour workday along with staying up until midnight or later. When people are tired they enjoy less of their holiday making them opt for staying in and catching ups on their ZZZ’s.
YOU CAN DO IT!
Parties can be a tricky thing to pull off but don’t give up after your first try. The number one thing to keep in mind when planning for a party is your client base. You have to know your clients well and shape the party around them or they won’t show. Great parties are something that comes with experience. The more parties you host the more you learn, each year getting better and better.