A few years ago we were hosting an ultra VIP event to cultivate new prospects and retain existing sponsors. This was an event where people had to RSVP and only the person who was invited could attend. The purpose was to prevent the VIP from passing the invitation on to their assistant, which occurred way too often.
The day of the event I received a call from a major prospect telling me that she couldn't attend, but wanted to give the invitation to her nanny and her husband (!). I had to tell her that I was sorry but we just couldn't do that. She had a hard time accepting this and I told her that this was a very intimate event for selected C-Level guests. I then suggested that she give her invitation to someone else in her organization that would benefit from networking with the high-level guests. Well, she just couldn't think of anyone.
I have a feeling that several factors were involved in this decision: 1) She was disconnected with the VIPs and couldn't identify the right person 2) She would have been humiliated to ask a VIP to attend the event at last minute, and 3) She wasn't a strategic thinker and didn't understand how to fully leverage this asset.
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