One person who shows up every week beats five who only come when it’s exciting. Build around them.

Excitement is abundant and unreliable. Attendance is rare and worth planning around. Five people who appear for the fun events cannot be scheduled, while one who turns up every Tuesday can be the thing everything else is arranged around. Consistency is a skill, and it is scarcer than talent in almost every group.

Work out who has actually been there, then give that person something real to hold. Thank them out loud, because steady people are usually the least praised. If you want to be one, pick the thing you will attend even when it is dull.