Scheduling techniques for organizers of drinking parties and social gatherings
For the organizer of a drinking party or social gathering, scheduling tends to be even harder than for a business meeting. Because attendance is optional, the response rate is low and vague replies like "I'll come if I can" are common. Days pass without the answers coming in, and meanwhile the restaurant's reservation slots fill up. This is a worry every organizer shares. Here are techniques to maximize attendance while keeping the organizer's burden to a minimum.
Proposing dates that maximize attendance
- Always include a Friday. With the next day off, the hurdle to joining tends to be lower. A start time of 18:30-19:00 is the standard
- Aim for just after payday. Around the 25th (a common payday in Japan), people tend to loosen their purse strings
- Avoid the end and start of the month. Accounting and sales staff are busy closing the books
- Offer 4-5 dates. Too few and nothing fits; too many and people think "any of them is fine", so replies come late
Also, the days around 3-day weekends and long holiday periods easily overlap with trips home or vacations. Checking where the long weekends fall on a public holiday and long weekend calendar before proposing dates prevents the misread of "I sent the options and everyone turned out to be away".
Designing a message that raises the response rate
Structure of an effective request
- The purpose in one sentence ("It's a welcome party for [name]!")
- Stress how easy replying is ("Just mark ○×, done in 10 seconds")
- State the deadline ("by this Friday")
- A link to the tool (opens in 1 tap)
- Encourage replies even if undecided ("△ is fine too")
Dealing with the "I'll come if I can" problem
The vague reply "I'll come if I can" troubles organizers more than anything. There are 3 countermeasures.
- Design the response options. Make the meaning of △ clear, as in "○ (attending) / △ (80% likely, confirmed on the day) / × (not attending)"
- Set a deadline for the final headcount. Tell people, "If you have not changed △→○ by the [date], I will book you as not attending"
- Mention that a cancellation fee exists. Share the fact plainly: "Same-day cancellations are charged the full course price"
When to send reminders
Coordinating with the restaurant booking
Book the restaurant as soon as the date is confirmed. Popular places fill up early on Friday nights, so placing a tentative booking while the dates are still candidates also works well. To prepare for changes in headcount, it is reassuring to check when booking whether a change of plus or minus 2 people is possible.
Combined with systems for preventing last-minute cancellations, this minimizes the risk of headcount changes on the day.