If your company is hosting an event, you may want to consider sending a formal business invitation. Here are some suggestions that can help you choose or create appropriate professional invitations.
Why Issue a Formal Business Invitation
Even with today's focus on more casual forms of communication, such as the telephone and e-mail, there are times when you may want to issue a formal invitation to guests. If your company is hosting a gala event or celebrating a milestone achievement, sending out invitations is the appropriate way to let people know you will be welcoming them at a specific time and place.
Your Company Brand
When your company is hosting any kind of a special event, choose an invitation that reflects your company brand. Simply buying blank invitations at a stationery store and filling in the blanks will not have the same impact as having the invitations custom made.
A local printing business can help you choose the appropriate size and card stock type for your needs. This way you can add your company logo if you wish.
What to Look for in Formal Business Invitations
Here are some suggestions to make it easier to choose the right formal business invitation for your needs:
- Keep it simple.
You want the type to be large enough to be easy-to-read. If you have the choice between a plain script and a more elaborate one, choose the plain one. You want the reader to be able to understand the purpose of your invitation.
- Put the title at the top of the invitation.
The first thing you want the reader to see is what type of event you are hosting. The other details, including your company name, are secondary to what the purpose of the celebration is.
- Don't be afraid to center the text.
Whereas in normal correspondence the eye naturally reverts to the left-hand-side, this is not true of formal business invitations. You can center the text and use different sizes of type to draw the reader's eye to the important details.
- Choose a particular type and stick to it.
You don't want your invitation to look jumbled up by trying to include too many different styles of type. With the variety of different type faces available, you won't have a problem choosing something that reflects the mood you are trying to convey. In fact, you may actually have trouble choosing just one.
- Make sure you include the Five W's in the invitation.
When you issue a formal invitation, you want to make sure that you include Who is hosting the evening, What the event is, Where it is being held, When the event will be taking place, and Why you are it. You will also want to let your invitees know how and when to indicate whether they plan to attend the event.
- Write it out first.
Take some time to organize your thoughts. Write out the event details first. Look at how many lines of type you have. As a general rule, the invitation should be limited to no more than 14 lines of copy.
Sending Formal Business Invites
In a similar manner to wedding invitations, formal business invitations should be delivered by mail. Allow yourself sufficient time before the event to get the invitations in the hands of your guests and for them to respond whether they will be able to join you.
Managing Responses to the Formal Business Invitations
You will want to set up a system where you can keep track of the number of guests who have confirmed they will be attending, and their names. You may also want to contact those invitees who have not responded to your invitation by a certain date to find out whether they are planning to join you.
