By Neepa Parikh | Director | Office of Career Planning

Planning an event is anxiety-provoking. If you’ve ever planned a party, wedding, or work event, you know how much goes into it. Everything needs to be coordinated starting from high level planning (ex. date, time, and venue) to the smaller, but significant details (ex. name tags, utensils, and refreshments). The last thing a planner needs to worry about is people just “showing up” when an RSVP was kindly requested (or in some cases, required) or having registered attendees simply not show up or cancel at the very last minute. This is especially frustrating when the planner has to provide enough food and seating for everyone. Your commitment and communication shows your respect for the host’s time.

Here are some simple tips to being a great guest/human:

• RSVP – If RSVP is requested, communicate your intention to attend early so that plans can be made accordingly.

• Check your calendar – Take the time to check your schedule and determine if you can honestly attend.

• Honor your commitment. If you say you are going to attend something, attend it. Don’t be that person who decides that you’re now too tired to go or something better has come up.

• Communicate early. If an emergency or unavoidable conflict comes up, make every effort to notify the host before the event. It’s better to communicate your absence rather than completely ghosting.

Remember that professional and social gatherings are great opportunities to meet new people or reconnect with old acquaintances. If you don’t show up, you won’t know what could have been. #fomo

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