An analysis of millions of registrations handled through the event platform Lyyti shows that the biggest challenge for organizers today is not just the event itself, but getting any responses at all. On average, only 14 percent of invited contacts register or decline. This means that the vast majority of invitations go unanswered.
– The fact that only 1 in 7 respond to an invitation shows that much of today's event communication is being discarded. Today, as an event organizer, you have to create a clear value for the recipient to take the time to respond at all, says Antonia Ridderstråle, marketing manager at Lyyti.
Even if a person has accepted an event, it is not a guarantee that they will show up. As it becomes easier to participate in events, it also becomes easier to ignore them. The phenomenon of no-shows is evident across all event formats on Lyyti's platform, although they differ.
Physical events continue to show the highest levels of engagement, with a no-show rate of 16 percent. These attendees show the strongest willingness to attend, typically booking their seats 29 days in advance. Online events are more vulnerable to this “engagement gap,” with a no-show rate of 31 percent. Interestingly, these attendees now register an average of 19 days in advance, an increase from previous years. However, they are still twice as likely to not attend an event compared to those who attend in person. Hybrid events show a similar pattern, with a no-show rate of 32 percent.
– We see that many people are booking things in their calendars further and further in advance, but the affirmative answer seems to have become less significant. A notification has increasingly become a placeholder in the calendar rather than a commitment, explains Antonia Ridderstråle.
All events involve a cost in the form of time or money. This is especially true for physical events. For a physical event with 100 participants and an average cost of SEK 1,500 per person, a no-show rate of 16 percent means that SEK 24,000 is lost in unused resources. To improve the return on investment, organizers should therefore focus more on quality than quantity.
Whether an event is successful or not should be measured by actual participation and the interactions that follow, rather than the initial number of registrations. Reversing this trend requires a more data-driven approach.
– In addition to getting better at sending personalized reminders close to the event that highlight the unique value of participating, you should also follow up on why people didn't show up. It is through this insight that we can create events that the recipient actually prioritizes in their calendar, concludes Antonia Ridderstråle.
About the statistics:
In 2025, Lyyti handled approximately five million event registrations, of which 64 percent were physical events, 31 percent online events and 5 percent hybrid formats. The news is based on aggregated, anonymized data from 3,847 events over the past twelve months, where participation was systematically tracked on the platform.
About Lyyti
Lyyti is an event management system that helps companies and organizations create meaningful meetings through virtual, physical and hybrid events. The platform streamlines registrations, communication, reporting and feedback collection through automated workflows, ensuring a smooth and engaging event experience for both organizers and attendees. Lyyti is used by professional event teams both within and outside the Nordics to plan, manage and measure events with clarity and impact.
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