Let's advertise the talk in the hope of making up the numbers a bit.

[worcester]

Hello everyone,

Can somebody explain the meaning of this sentence please?

"Let's advertise the talk in the hope of making up the numbers a bit."

Thank you.​

 

[charliedeut]

Without any further context, I take it to mean "Let's advertise the talk and see if we can get people (audience) to tune to it/watch it so we can build a good audience share.

Native speakers may add to this or correct it altogether.

 

[Grumpy]

In this scenario, "making up the numbers" means increasing the number of people who come to hear the talk.

The expression "to make up the numbers" can often imply that the extra person or persons who attend that particular event or function are not keen participants. For example, one could say "Peter had arranged a group booking to see the new play at the theatre, but not many of his friends wanted to go. I was sorry for him, so - although I'm not keen on the theatre - I went along to make up the numbers".