Original research, October 2026
We messaged every FOST London registrant with a phone number on WhatsApp before the doors opened. 39% never picked up a badge. Registrants who replied before the event missed it at less than half the rate of those who stayed silent.
39%
of 1,411 registrants never picked up a badge
19%
no-shows among registrants who replied before the event
43%
no-shows among registrants who got the message and stayed silent
7 of 8
registrants who told Sena they cannot come did not come
165 registrants
663 registrants
279 registrants
199 registrants
69 registrants
Source: FOST London 2026
Less than half the rate.
Registrants who replied missed the event at 18.8%. Registrants who got the message and stayed silent, or had a number not on WhatsApp, missed it at 43 to 45%.
Swipe the table to see every column
| Group | Registrants | No-shows | No-show rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Replied before the event | 165 | 31 | 18.8% |
| Read it, never replied | 663 | 284 | 42.8% |
| Received it, never opened it | 279 | 126 | 45.2% |
| Number not on WhatsApp | 199 | 90 | 45.2% |
| No confirmed message | 69 | 23 | 33.3% |
| All pre-registered | 1,411 | 555 | 39.3% |
People who plan to come are the ones who answer, and two numbers show it.
Length did not matter: registrants who sent one or two messages missed the event at 20%, and those who sent five or more at 18%.
Registrants who read the message and stayed quiet missed the event at 43%. Those that the message did not reach missed it at 45%.
We have not yet tested whether the message itself changes who comes. When we do, the result goes on this page.
144
more people registered at FOST London on the day of the event.
A seat you already paid for.
Your caterer counted it and your sponsors expected it. Someone on your waitlist wanted it. On a registration list, every name looks the same until the morning of the event.
Three moments to act.
Before the event
You hear who cannot come.
Eight registrants told Sena that they cannot come, and seven of them did not come.
Morning of the event
You ask the quiet ones.
Do you still plan to come today? A yes is a confirmed seat. A no is a seat for your waitlist.
For the unreachable
You reach the ones WhatsApp cannot.
One registrant in six never got the message, and they missed the event at 43%. Email gets them the same assistant on the web.
We compared the FOST London badge list with who replied to Sena before the event.
No registrant's name, contact details or employer appears on this page. Citation and reuse are welcome under CC BY 4.0.
The ones who answer before the event. At FOST London 2026, registrants who replied to the event's WhatsApp message before doors opened had an 18.8% no-show rate. Registrants who got the message and stayed silent had 43.5%. A reply shows a plan to come. It does not prove that the message made them come.
39.3%. 555 of 1,411 pre-registered attendees never picked up a badge. Another 144 people registered on the day and all of them attended. They are not in the rate.
Not proven. Registrants who replied came far more often, but people who plan to attend are the ones who reply. Registrants who got the message and did not answer missed the event at the same rate as registrants who did not get it. Nobody has tested that yet.
On the morning of the event, ask them again if they still plan to come. Give the seats of anyone who says no to the waitlist.
At FOST London, 199 of 1,411 registrants had a number that was not on WhatsApp, and 35 had no phone at all. They missed the event at 43%, the same as the silent group. They need a second channel, for example an email with a link to the same assistant on the web.
We will send you the anonymized sponsor report from one of our events: 1,306 registrants, start to finish.
A real, anonymized sponsor report from a live event. No newsletter, no sequence.