Charge for the experience even when you plan to refund it.

technique — attributed to Michael Cirino

Cirino's nine reserved-ticket diners for the subway dinner paid for their tickets in advance, and he refunded the money the second they boarded the subway. The reason was not the revenue. It was that people who did not have to buy tickets often did not show up. The transaction is a commitment device. Free reservations have a no-show rate that destroys event design. Paid reservations, even with a guaranteed refund, produce show-up rates near one hundred percent. The technique generalizes to invitation-only events, free webinars, and any format where show-up risk is material. The price is not the point; the commitment is.

For event organizers, experiential producers, and program leaders running free or low-cost programs where show-up rates matter. The technique requires the refund to be visible and immediate, not a marketing trick.

pricing, commitment, refund, show-up-rate