Name: Sittie Norena K.

Akmad Score:

Course: BSHM Date: October 27, 2021

Activity 8

Gather several invitations to different types of events. Evaluate how each one
sets the tone for the event and the expectations of the invitees.

Event invitations offer so many options nowadays. From traditional paper invitations, to
digital envites, it is hard to know which is right for your event. We get the lowdown on
modern day invitations and etiquette. While the format may have changed, invitations
themselves are still just as relevant today as they were. They are often the first point of
contact to your guests and can set the tone for the event and build excitement long
before the day arrives. Invitations no longer have to be sent formally by mail, they are
now easily issued and accepted via social media and email, for quick and easy
responses. That being said, your choice of invitation should suit your event and reflect
the formality you are going for. An envite may not be the preferred option for black tie
dinners or fundraisers but likewise there is no need to go all out with paper invitations
for a conference or small social event. Traditionally, invitations were used for social
events by aristocrats in high society and created a sense of exclusivity by only
extending invitations to those who were “worthy”. It was considered an honour just to
receive an invitation and great care was given when creating them using calligraphy and
wax seals.

Printed
Commercially printed invitations increased in the US after World War One several
centuries after the introduction of the printing press, but this level of technology was still
only reserved for the wealthy or elite because it was very expensive. Today printing via
a professional print house is quick, easy and affordable and lots of stunning designs
and effects can be created. Even colour printers within offices nowadays can print to a
high standard.

Electronic

Nowadays with the introduction of technology and the ease of communication,

invitations are often sent electronically, via email or social media or even via an event
app. Evites break the rules and don’t follow the formal invitation etiquette of the past.
The Double Envelope

Even today, you may wonder why formal invitations commonly have two envelopes, one
inside the other and this is because historically when they were handwritten for larger
households they would be delivered by hand (usually by a footman) to a house with
extended family or other guests. The household address would go on the outer
envelope so it would get to the correct place and then once there, the family would open
and find the envelope to the recipient(s) inside (as not everyone was always invited).

The Pros of Invitations

 Paper invites are more formal, cost money and require time and effort to set up
which although can be a con in itself, it means they are taken more seriously by
guests and as a result means your RSVP rate is naturally higher than with digital
invitations. It is also a constant reminder to those invited, unlike emails which are
easily buried and forgotten.

 Traditional invitations are tangible, which can mean they are more memorable and
create a sense of exclusivity. It isn’t something that is received “every day” and is
therefore quite a novelty.
 As they are addressed to someone specifically, it is clear who is invited and sets
better boundaries surrounding the event rather than an email that could be
forwarded on or extended to a wider circle of people.

 It is guaranteed to get there, especially if you pay for tracked postage so there is no
mistake about people not getting the invite.

 In this world of social media, ironically sending traditional invitations probably means
many guests will share the invitation with their social networks to ‘brag’.

 Emails and digital invites are usually free to send if you send via email or one of the
free email marketing platforms. A lot of event registration sites enable you to send
evites directly from the system to keep everything consistent.

 Some tools allow you to create a professional design in line with your event
branding, without any design experience. Alternatively you can still pay a designer
to create something impactful which will be uploaded and sent out electronically.

 Digital invitations are great for public events where there are no limits to the
attendees and you are trying to encourage sign up from a large amount of people. It
makes it easy for people to forward details to their networks if it is an open invitation
to a public event.

 Unnecessary printing is frowned upon and evites are definitely the most eco-friendly
option for sustainability conscious guests.

 You can include a lot more information in an evite than an actual invitation, as well
as adding more sponsorship and advertising spots, which can be tracked.

 You can create interesting effects and have moving graphics on screen that aren’t
possible with paper invitations (yet).

The Cons of Invitations

 With design, printing and postage this is the most expensive option. Bespoke
designs using special paper, embossing, unusual sizes and paper cut outs can all
increase the cost greatly.

 Unlike with emails, an attendee cannot simply recall the invite if they lose it which
means they lose all the information and details as well and means they have no
back-up option other than to call the organizers and get a new copy or details sent
out.

 Some guests may not have or check their email regularly and depending on your
demographics you may find not everyone is email accessible. Spam filters can often
block emails, particularly with graphics or if sent out to a mass email list, and this
can cause a lot of perceived non-attendance, when they actually just didn’t get the
invite.

 If you need guests to take their invitation along to the event or to pre-print their
badge, make it clear whether it is fine to show the invitation on mobile. Printing can
be difficult and requires attendees to remember to do it and bring it along and some
may not have the facilities.

 May not be suitable for formal, high profile or significant events, unless they are just
serving as a reminder, because it can come across as cheap. At high class
fundraisers in particular, you can’t expect people to raise a lot of money if you send
out cheap invites.

 Evites can easily be missed in the swarm of emails that people get on a day to day
basis and are easily pushed down the inbox and forgotten, especially when sending
to business email addresses.

 An attendee may see the email and then go to respond to it at a later date and ‘lose
it’ in their inbox meaning they can’t actually respond if they don’t know what to
search for.

 As they are perceived as less formal and in some cases carry less of an impact you
get a much lower RSVP rate, even if that is the action you are requesting.
In Conclusion

Invitations are just as important now as they have ever been, but the methods to send
them and the etiquette to respond to them has changed drastically. Invitations are now
so accessible event profs need to be careful to retain exclusivity and chose the right
invitation to suit the event, as this has a direct impact in terms of the response rate.