Originally Posted by opushomes

As an organizer, some lessons were learned (fortunately there was no minimum guarantee for the dinner). Do not ask the restaurant to hold space for late arrivals. Require that payment be made in advance and non-refundable despite the much greater logistics involved in collection. Set a cut-off for payments and stick with it. Be sure to build in a considerable buffer for currency conversion costs (if at a foreign venue from one's home country), Pay-Pal and bank charges and restaurant ancillary charges particularly if a guarantee is required. Be sure that everyone pays even those who say that they are just dropping by or do not plan to eat.