No matter what type of event you’re planning - in-person, hybrid, or digital - the invitations are a vital part of the process. After all, a successful event owes a lot to invitations bringing in the attendees.
With the rise of digital invitations, you might be wondering what type of invitation will suit your event, how to adapt your invitation letters to suit the format of your event, and how to keep them professional.
Superevent is here to guide you through each step of your event planning journey, so read on to learn everything you need to know about event invitation letters!
What is an Event Invitation Letter?
Event invitations are a valuable way to attract people to your event - the more effective your invitation, the more it will entice your audience and bring in attendees. Successful invitation letters will promote your event by giving key details on the subject matter, guest speakers, and potential opportunities that will be available for attendees, such as networking.
There are a variety of formats and channels that you can use for your invitations - it’s just a matter of determining which method - or methods - is right for you. You also need to be strategic about distributing your invitations, which we’ll cover in this guide.
Different Types of Event Invitation Letters
The date is set, the venue and staff are booked, and you might think that your work is done, but you’ve got an important step left - spreading the word about your event and lining up your guests!
You need to be strategic with your event invitations and ask yourself how you can make them eye-catching, which format will be the most appropriate for the occasion, and what tone it should have to be professional yet appealing!
A great place to start is by determining what format will work best for your event invitation letters, so we’ll cover the bases:
- Handwritten
Handwritten invitations are intimate and, with the right stationery and when written by skilled calligraphers, can be incredibly impactful and impressive. They’re best suited for smaller events with a guest list of under 50 people, as handwriting them takes extra time, or if you’re using a professional service, the cost can add up. They add a nice personal touch and could be effective for small fundraising events or celebrations. Another benefit of handwritten invitations is the additional opportunity to personalize them - you can add individual notes for your guests.
- Printed
Handwritten invitations may look nice, but printed event invitations are much more straightforward to produce, and have a larger range of design options. You can apply company branding and graphic design to your invitation template, allowing you to get extra creative with eye-catching features.
They are also cheaper to produce than handwritten invitations, so they're a good choice for wider distribution on a lower budget. The physical print makes them more expensive than a fully digital option, but they still offer more of a feeling of effort and exclusivity - though to a lesser extent than the handwritten option.
If your event is open to a wide audience, printed invitations are a good option to distribute as flyers. You can have them displayed at relevant establishments or other events so you can reach a wider audience.
- Digital
Digital event invitations are certainly the most convenient option for both you and the recipients - they can be quickly and easily distributed to large groups of invitees, and it’s very easy to gauge potential attendance due to the ease with which you can manage RSVPs.
They offer the same design opportunities as printed invitations but with the added option of including videos or animations. You can also include links within your invite so the recipients can easily find further details on the event and entities involved in it.
The lack of printing costs makes them the most cost-friendly option for a widely distributed invite. You could combine digital and printed invitations by distributing one design in both formats - this would be possible if you have a physical and digital mailing list for potential attendees, or you can have physical flyers to hand out.
Digital invites are a great method for online events, as you will have a much wider reach if your guests will simply be joining a conference room online. Distribution methods can range from social media, online advertisements, webpages, and event email marketing
If you’re using Superevent, you can create your own personalized, branded event invitations and send them out to those on your email list easily. When we say we’re an all-in-one platform, we really mean it!
Why are Event Invitations Important?
They promote good coordination
The main purpose of writing invitation letters is to effectively coordinate the number and range of guests who may attend your event. You can gauge the volume of attendees judging by the number of invites you sent out and/or any responses you have received.
It’s an easy way to maintain a good level of organization within your event planning and ensure the right audience is in attendance.
They’re an effective tool for spreading the word
Event invitations are a great way to put your event out there and reach the intended audience. They should include essential information about the event to entice potential attendees and have contact details and the location of the venue so the recipient can do further research if needed.
They market your brand to potential customers
Invitation letters are a great marketing opportunity, as you can reach out to potential collaborators who may be interested in participating in a future event. The invitation is also a chance to establish an effective branding strategy through both design and narrative. That means your invites should follow a similar tone to the kind of event you’re planning.
For instance, if you’re planning on hosting a scientific or medical conference, you’ll want to target a more professional tone. If you’re planning on something a little more fun, then your tone should reflect that! It helps set expectations for your events, even before your guests arrive through the door (or join in online).
Event invitation template
Take a look below at our event invitation template for scientific events (as it’s one of our specialties). Obviously, you can rearrange the information below however you’d like in order to fit the style of your event.
Scientific event template
Dear [recipient],
We are excited to invite you to our upcoming scientific event titled [event title]. The event will be held on [date] at [location].
Our event will bring together experts in the field to discuss the latest advancements and breakthroughs in [field of study]. We have an exciting lineup of keynote speakers, as well as panel discussions and networking opportunities.
Registration for the event is now open, and we encourage you to secure your spot as soon as possible. You can register by visiting our website [website link] and filling out the registration form.
We hope to see you there and look forward to a productive and engaging event.
Sincerely, [Your name] [Event organizer]
How to effectively write event invitation letters?
Tip 1: Create a pre-writing checklist
Before you begin creating your event invitations, it’s important to have a checklist with essential details about your invite. This ensures that you cover all bases and have a strong and effective invite.
Here are some checklist examples:
- List potential visitors
- Include key guests
- Provide contact/venue details
- Choose the tone of the letter
Tip 2: Information should be easily grasped
You should aim to cover any areas where your recipients may have questions, so plan ahead and make sure that the initial invitation provides the information they may need:
- Name of Invitee (for a personal touch)
- Name of your company
- Name and subject of the event
- Day and time of the event
- Venue details
- Contact information
- RSVP - the invitee will feel that their attendance matters, and you can get an idea of how many guests you will have.
You should tailor your invites depending on whether your event is fully digital, hybrid, or in-person. This includes details on how to attend, any requirements, and where to reach out to for any questions/troubleshooting assistance.
Instead of sending a templated e-invite, create personalized and thoughtful messaging. Get creative and exhibit your company values.
You can do just that with Superevent. Aside from having a sleek invitation creation process, Superevent is a self-service app you can adapt to the specifics of your event. You can preview your event app as you build it via the website CMS, then publish it immediately to see it in action on your phone. The app is available for iOS and Android and offers a web-based HTML version to cover desktop and other mobile platforms.
Tip 3: Keep it short
You should limit your invitations to include the essential details and a professional invitation to the recipient. Shorter messages are more likely to be read, and the content is easier to digest. You’re also more likely to get a response if you keep the RSVP process simple.
If the invitee wants more details about the event, you should provide the relevant contact details and any links that they can engage with themselves if they desire.
Tip 4: Use a positive and thankful tone
A level of professionalism and appreciation for your guests’ time is an important touch to your event invites. It helps to present your company and event in a positive light and can make your recipients feel like their attendance is important to you.
You can also anticipate that they will accept your invitation with a message expressing that you look forward to their attendance. You can thank them for the time they’ve taken to read your invitation, so they feel valued.
You should include contact details for the business too, this can be reassuring for the recipient as they know that the event is legit.
Tip 5: State if a Response is Required
You should indicate whether you want or need a response to confirm a guest’s attendance. You should include RSVP details so your recipients know how to do this, and you can know how many guests to expect on the day.
RSVP is essential for an in-person event, so you can ensure that your venue has the required capacity, and you can organize seating, refreshments, staff, and security to meet capacity.
Tip 6: Always proofread the letter
Like any content that you produce, it is good practice to always proofread your work prior to publication/sending it out. You should check for any errors, and ensure that contact, venue, and date/time details are correct.
If you are sending out a digital invitation that includes links, you should check to make sure that the links are not broken and that they lead to the correct pages. You should also review a test invite prior to sending it out to your invite list, so you can ensure that it displays correctly.
If you’re printing physical letters, you should print a tester to make sure that everything is correct - you don’t want to print a full batch before spotting an error!
Conclusion
As you can tell, event invitations may be one of the last steps in your event planning journey, but its an important one - it can make or break your event, and make the rest of your efforts worthwhile by bringing in the audience you want.
Event planning can be stressful and challenging, which is why Superevent is such a useful tool that provides assistance with professional event planning. If you’re looking to use us for your event, check out our prices! If you’re hosting an event with 50 attendees or under, we’ll help ensure your event goes off without a hitch for free, whether you’re hosting a virtual, hybrid, or completely in-person event.
So what are you waiting for? Create an event app with us today!
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