Renowned Melbourne event manager Kim Hesse gives us the secrets to writing a great invitation.
Don’t make them think too much. Just include the information they will need to make a decision on whether or not to attend (or at least enough to get them interested to find out more).
If your venue is located at 333 Collins Street, go the next step and add “between Queen and Elizabeth streets.” If you are a Melburnian, I'm sure you just pictured this exact location. This is exactly what you want your potential guest to do.
To make sure your attendees turn up on time, make sure you clarify the location inside the venue. For example: The Melbourne Hospitality Centre, Level 2, Room 1.
Parking is a huge factor for people when deciding whether or not to attend your event, so research and include this vital piece of information. It’ll show your guests that you care. Include price and, if available, an alternative option.
Events are there to help people with something or to solve a particular problem (or “pain points”). To entice people, clearly address this in the invitation. For example: “How To Write Copy That People Actually Read”, or “The Art To Online Fashion Retail”.
Write Monday March 20, 2017. It’s such a simple thing to do but many invitations leave this out. Don't make readers look at their calendar to figure out the day of the 20th. They may get distracted and move on, or miss an RSVP.
Make sure your ideal guest knows this event is created for them. This works best with three to five dot points. For example, if you were writing an invitation for an event on event management (hint, hint) you may include:
When inviting people to your event, you are asking them to give up their time and often money to attend. Therefore they will need convincing. The best way to do this is to note three to five clear things they’ll learn at the event (often labelled as “key takeaways”).
If there is any confusion, you may lose them. Suggestions include “RSVP Here” (with a hyperlink to your online booking form) or “Reply via email with your name, company and dietary requirements”. Note: If you have an RSVP deadline be sure to include this as well.
Don’t forget to include the arrival time for registration. You don’t want people to miss out on some of the session because of delays. For example:
Tip: If you are running a full-day event and have scheduled break times, it's nice to include these so guests can plan their day and schedule calls during the breaks.
You don't want your guests to be frustrated about stopping to eat on the way because you didn't let them know food would be provided. It may also be the tipping point to getting them to come.
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