Often times, you are invited to an event and the first thing you think of is “what’s in it for me?” You decide by the title if the event is going to be worth while or not. Furthermore, you’re unsure of the etiquette of RSVPing. Do you RSVP if you ARE going to attend? Or, do you RSVP if you AREN’T planning to attend? Different hosts ask for different responses, which adds to further confusion.

What is the proper way to RSVP and how does this affect the growth of your business? Recently, several Chambers of Commerce have moved their events & programs onto Meetup.com to help solve both of these struggles. In an effort to help gain more awareness and more attendance at their events, they’ve incorporated Meetup.com to help you out.

Meetup.com asks for a YES or a NO response right away and allows you to view who is planning to attend, to rate the events and even post your profile. It’s a great tool to bring more people together. Your profile serves as ‘google food’, which means it helps out with your search engine optimization. This is all great for growing your business, however, the RSVP question still lingers.

As business professionals, you are really busy trying to wear many hats – while juggling a full calendar. If you RSVP too early, then you feel like you are too committed, but if you RSVP too late, the host may feel like they should cancel the event, even though there are probably a lot of people interested in attending.

So, here’s how to RSVP properly and grow your business at the same time; take 2 minutes to read about the event as soon as you receive the announcement. Do it right away and you can clear this ‘to-do’ off of your list. Compare it to your calendar. If you are available, say YES and think of someone to invite along. If you aren’t available, encourage someone else to go. After all, this is your chamber, and you add value when you show up, support the host, the event, and the others in attendance. Your business will increase, your chamber membership is strengthened, and you’ll be a success.

RSVP today.