One Hour Drive, No Guests: Weather Woes of a Home Show Host

[Chefstover2]

The weather here is killing my show schedule and from mid-January until last night, all of my shows have had to reschedule and i had one reschedule for last night. An hour's drive from here.

I've been host coaching them (mother/daughter co-host) and encouraging outside orders and talking up new date. I called Tuesday for an idea on attendance. Daughter has 3-4 coming and a couple of maybes. Mom doesn't know, but she'll call around and to call her back on Wednesday after church. Wednesday I call...no answer...leave a message.

Thursday, the weather is holding (halleleujah!!!) and the show is a go. I call just as I'm getting ready to leave to make sure I have enough books...I'm figuring 10. Host says that number sounds about right.

I drive ONE HOUR to get there...not one guest showed up :cry: and mother/daughter both tell me that the HS had an open house and this person's kid had dance that night, etc. Did they NOT KNOW this before???? So, graciously I did the show with mother/daughter and another daughter (good part of the show...I got to hold the baby and get my "baby fix"). Host had bought ingredients previous week and the bread was rock hard and limes were starting to go moldy.

Host and daughter are collecting orders to submit by 2/15, so I'll at least earn the HWC products.

I'm so aggravated...and it's snowing AGAIN! :cry::cry::cry::cry::cry: I really wanted the double points for this month and hoping the rest of my month will hold.

OK...vent over. I'm pulling up my big girl panties and moving on...thanks for listening. :blushing:

 

[Morgan032032]

I know exactly how you feel! I was supposed to do a show at the end of January..the host kept calling me and telling me 2 more people couldn't show and then 3 more couldn't makeit after that..it dwindled down at the end to only ONE person could make it to her show and she just wanted to cancel it all together and make it a catalog show. I was at least happy that she told me before I went over to do the show, so I graciously sent her some more catalogs. We were set to close the show on the 4th..she wouldn't return my calls. Then I finally talked to her and we changed it to the 6thth, then the 8th, then the 10th..and she wouldn't return my calls again! I got so frustrated that I just gave up..then she called me last night and said that she collected $300 in orders and wanted to close tonight. I was so excited! Maybe your hosts will end all of this frustration by at least putting a decent show together, just like mine did!

 

[Kelly8]

I've had two shows where not even the host was there. Nice, huh?

 

[Becca_in_MD]

That bites. We need to start chanting - no more snow, no more snow!! We do the best we can with booking as much as we can but these weather delays don't help. And then to get a show to hold and to have it be unmotivated hosts who don't communicate with their guests or you is the worst!

 

[Chefstover2]

I had a friend saw a sign on a church billboard: Whoever is praying for snow, please stop!Thanks for commiserating with me! It makes me feel better knowing I'm not alone.

 

[esavvymom]

Well, maybe with everyone being snowbound for so long, they'll be anxious for a party to get out of the house!!

 

[Janis]

I feel your pain. I had a past host who booked a show for January. It was snowing really bad, I drove in it (45 MINUTES to get their without snow) about an hour or so. I arrive and she said some people (local) are not coming because of the snow. Um, I just drove over an hour in it. She had 2 guests (one which said don't bother doing the recipe). We did the demo, talked about the tools. She had some outside orders and then closed it at about $500 I think. Outside orders make all the difference!! BUT she could have done that without my traveling in a blizzard and cooking.

We've all been there. Take a deep breath and book your next show.

 

[Krista Burson]

My ED always closes off the day after when she books shows. She tells the host that if there is inclement weather the day of, they automatically reschedule it for the day after. She also has the host put it on her invites as a "Snow Date"