Throughout history, invitations have always represented the host. Originally they were hand-written to show literacy. Today, wedding invitations showcase a couple’s personality. But when it comes to corporate events, many organizations fail to utilize the invitation as an opportunity to showcase its brand.

Invitations market two things – the event and the organization. Companies spend a lot of money hiring marketing agencies and designing pretty brochures but then make invitations an afterthought; an irony considering more people will see the invitation than the event itself. No one wants to attend an event that looks boring based on the invitation. They still might attend, but it becomes a complained about obligation – not the kind of buzz that was intended. Spending money on an event that no one wants to attend doesn’t provide the best return on investment.

What makes for a compelling invitation?

• It can’t, in any way, be mistaken for junk mail.
• Its size, shape, or color needs to stand out.
• No metered or bulk rate stamps.
• Hand written or typed addresses are preferable to mailing labels.
• Limit logo soup (large numbers of sponsor logos).

Many people think electronic invitations are appropriate, and for some events like association meetings they are perfect. Evites are considerably less expense. They also provide great data like the ability to be able to track metrics – how many received, opened, forwarded. Unfortunately, they lack the “this event is special” appeal and more are more likely to be ignored. There is no reason to discount electronic communication – just use it for save the dates and reminders, not inviting.