# How to get people to actually show up to events

Parties and events · https://lfg.gm/how-to-get-people-to-show-up-to-events · Updated 2026-10-16

The most reliable way to get people to show up to an event is to stop relying on the RSVP and ring them at the moment they need to leave. A yes costs nothing; an alarm they chose to join is a small commitment, and it reaches them on the day, when it counts. LFG Alarm is a social alarm clock for iPhone and Android that does this: make one alarm for the event, share the link, and everyone who joins is rung at the moment you choose.

## Why people do not show up

They meant to. Then the day happened. The invite was three weeks ago, the reminder was one email among dozens, and at 6:40 on a Thursday the couch was right there. Nothing told them, at the moment it mattered, that it was time to put shoes on.

The numbers are worse for free events. Across check-in data from more than 1,070 live events, the event-software company PheedLoop found a median no-show rate of about 20%: about 28% for free events and 17% for paid ones, and about 32% at small events of 10 to 49 people. That small free event is exactly the book launch, the run club social or the founders' breakfast most people host.

## Reminders work, and timing and wording matter

There is good evidence that a reminder at the right moment changes behaviour. A Cochrane review of randomised trials found text reminders raised attendance at healthcare appointments from 67.8% with no reminder to 78.6%. In two NHS trials with about 10,000 outpatients each, a text that named the specific cost of missing ("Not attending costs NHS £160 approx.") cut missed appointments from 11.1% to 8.4%.

An event is not a clinic appointment, but the lessons carry: remind people close to the moment, and say something specific.

## Ring them at the right moment

| Event | When to ring | What the alarm's name says |
|---|---|---|
| In person, across town | Two hours before | "Supper club, 8pm, leave by 7:15" |
| In person, nearby | An hour before | "Doors 7, side entrance" |
| Online | At the start | "Live now, join the call" |
| Morning event | The wake-up itself | "Breakfast 7:30, Elm St" |

The name and wallpaper show on the ring screen. The creator's note holds the rest (which entrance, what to bring, the dress code), and the call-to-action link opens a map, a ticket or a stream when people answer.

## Three hosts, three fixes

**The free monthly meetup.** Asha runs a 40-person design meetup on Luma. Typically a third of the list does not come. She pastes the Luma link into LFG Alarm, sets it to ring an hour before doors, and adds the alarm link to the event description and her last blast. The number of people riding the alarm becomes her real headcount for pizza. See [How LFG Alarm adds to Luma](https://lfg.gm/lfg-alarm-with-luma).

**The house party.** Jamal's Partiful says 30 going. He knows that means 18. He makes the alarm from his Partiful link for two hours before, with the party's song on it, and puts the alarm link in a text blast: "ring at 7, first one through the door gets the good seat". See [How LFG Alarm adds to Partiful](https://lfg.gm/lfg-alarm-with-partiful).

**The online launch.** A small studio is going live on a stream at 6:00 PM London time and has people in five countries. One public alarm rings everyone at 6:00 London time, in the same second, and each person sees it in their own time zone.

## Make it something people want

An alarm should not feel like a nag. Put the event's hype video or song on it, let Rocco roast a snooze, and give a small prize of your own to whoever answers first; the [wake board](https://lfg.gm/wiki/wake-board) shows who that was. A mystery alarm keeps a video or message sealed until it rings, which is a good way to reveal a surprise guest or a secret location.

## How loud it is

Time and event alarms are real alarms on both phones: on iPhone they use Apple's own alarm system and ring through silent mode and Focus; on Android they take over the screen even when the phone is locked.

## Works with the tools you already use

- **Partiful or Luma:** paste the invite link and the alarm is made from it. See [How LFG Alarm adds to Partiful](https://lfg.gm/lfg-alarm-with-partiful), [to Luma](https://lfg.gm/lfg-alarm-with-luma), and [getting party guests to show up](https://lfg.gm/get-party-guests-to-show-up).
- **A group chat:** post the alarm link there. See [getting a group chat to commit](https://lfg.gm/group-chat-plans).
- **An AI agent:** it can make and share a time alarm for the event. See [your AI agent with Gmail and calendar](https://lfg.gm/ai-agent-gmail-calendar-events).
- **A whole community:** see [the community rally kit](https://lfg.gm/community-rally-kit).

**Try this.** Paste it into ChatGPT, Claude, Grok or another AI agent that has the LFG Alarm connector (https://mcp.lfg.gm), not into the LFG Alarm app. The person needs the LFG Alarm app on their phone.

> Use LFG Alarm to make a public alarm for 5:30pm this Thursday called "Doors 6:30, side entrance", with "MEETUP TONIGHT" drawn on the wallpaper, and give me the link for the event page.

Why it works: A public alarm lets every guest join from one link and get rung an hour before doors, with the one fact people ask for on the ring screen. Add the creator's note and the map link in the app; an AI agent cannot set those yet.

## Common mistakes

- **Ringing at the start time for an in-person event.** People need time to get there. Ring one or two hours before.
- **A vague name.** "Reminder" says nothing on a ring screen. "Doors 7, side entrance" does.
- **Changing the time after people join.** Once someone rides an alarm, its time is fixed. Change the creator's note for small updates, or make a new alarm.

## Questions

### Is an alarm annoying for guests?
Only people who join get it, and they chose to. Make it fun and they will want it.

### How many people can ride one alarm?
As many as join. Riding someone's alarm is free.

### Do guests need the app?
To be rung, yes: the free LFG Alarm app on iPhone or Android.

### Should the alarm be public or friends?
Public if you post the link on an open event page; friends if only invited guests should ride it. See [Sharing and reach](https://lfg.gm/wiki/sharing-and-reach).

## Sources and further reading

- [PheedLoop, Event Data Lab Report #05](https://pheedloop.com/blog/event-data-lab-report-5)
- [Cochrane, Mobile phone text messaging reminders for attendance at healthcare appointments](https://www.cochrane.org/CD007458)
- [UK government, A zero-cost way to reduce missed hospital appointments](https://gov.uk/government/publications/reducing-missed-hospital-appointments-using-text-messages/a-zero-cost-way-to-reduce-missed-hospital-appointments)

LFG Alarm is not affiliated with Luma, Partiful or PheedLoop.

## Keep exploring

- [How to get party guests to actually show up](https://lfg.gm/get-party-guests-to-show-up.md): Turn your Partiful or Luma invite into an alarm that rings every guest who joined.
- [How to turn a Partiful invite into an alarm](https://lfg.gm/partiful-event-alarm.md): Paste a Partiful link and LFG Alarm makes the alarm for your guests.
- [How to make sure Luma guests actually show up](https://lfg.gm/luma-event-alarm.md): Paste a Luma link so attendees get a real alarm before doors.
- [Reduce event no-shows: a reminder playbook for meetups, classes and clubs](https://lfg.gm/reduce-event-no-shows.md): A practical playbook for organisers: when to ring attendees, a headcount from who joined the alarm, notes, comments and a reward for the first to answer.
- [The fastest way to get a group chat to commit to a time](https://lfg.gm/group-chat-plans.md): Make the plan an alarm, post one link, and everyone who joins is rung at the moment you set.
- [How LFG Alarm adds to Luma](https://lfg.gm/lfg-alarm-with-luma.md): Luma reminds guests a day and an hour before; LFG Alarm adds a real alarm at the moment you choose.

## About LFG Alarm

LFG Alarm is a social alarm clock for iPhone, iPad and Android. It rings for times and for moments (a post on X, a stream going live, a token price, a wallet buying, an event starting), and one shared link makes every phone that joined ring together. Rocco, the cat inside the app, does the watching and the waking.

- Get it on Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=gm.lfg.app
- Download on the App Store: https://apps.apple.com/app/id6821089085
- Use it from an AI agent: add the MCP server https://mcp.lfg.gm as a connector, then ask in plain words.
- Every page for agents: https://lfg.gm/llms.txt