South Africa Event Planning

Once your venue, date and guest speakers are secured for your event (whether corporate or celebratory), you will need to send out formal invitations to inform those that are invited. The invitation can take many forms, such as:

• Printed invitations
• Emailed / electronic invites
• A link to a website that tells guests about the event
• A text (very informal)
• Hand-written invitations

For corporate functions, gala dinners, cocktail parties, weddings, and so on, the printed invitation is the most commonly used.

Do not be afraid to be creative when deciding on your invitations. They provide the first opportunity to convey the theme colours or nature of the event to the invitees, giving them a clue as to what to expect and how to dress. So, use this chance to your advantage. Consult with professional designers if your budget allows, as they will be able to give you good ideas and inspire you with innovative trends.

In terms of the wording, it is wise to let the nature of the event guide you. For example, an invitation to a very grand, opulent ball should be equally detailed and luxurious. On the other hand, a conference for busy executives need not ‘flower’ the invitation, but should be more straight-forward and professional.

No matter what the event or who you are inviting, spelling and grammatical mistakes are unacceptable. They distract the reader from the message and convey a sense of sloppy disregard for details. So, do a spell-check on your computer and have at least two other people read through the wording carefully to ensure that everything is correct.

The following information is essential to include on the invitation:

• The logo
• Host name and title, if applicable
• The name of the event
• Its location or address
• Date and time
• The event tagline, if applicable
• RSVP date and contact details

For example, a direct, no-frills invitation to a dinner or cocktail party could look like this:

Event Focus cordially invites you and your guest to a Cheese and Wine evening.

Guest Speaker: Sheldon Site
Venue: La Couture
55 Vineyard Road
Constantia
Cape Town
Date: Saturday, 8 January 2011
Time: 18h00 to 23h00
RSVP: Amelia Gibson (082 555 1234 or [email protected])

By invitation only

A more fun or celebratory event could use similar wording to the following:

Event Focus genially invites you and your guest to join us for a fun-filled evening of dinner and dancing to celebrate our recently-awarded Website of the Year™ prize.

The music will be presented by Michael Lockheed and the Janglers.

Venue: La Couture
55 Vineyard Road
Constantia
Cape Town
Date: Saturday, 8 January 2011
Time: 18h00 to 23h00
RSVP: Amelia Gibson (082 555 1234 or [email protected])

By invitation only

Secure parking will be available to all guests.

Compliments of Event Focus

For an event with a specific theme and one that you would like your guests to play along with, opt for something along these lines:

Event Focus is launching their brand new conferencing website! Join us for our Bling Ball to experience the fun and professional new site to the full. Dancing, dinner and a presentation by the official design team are sure to make you as excited about our new venture as we are.

Venue: La Couture
55 Vineyard Road
Constantia
Cape Town
Date: Saturday, 8 January 2011
Dress code: Bling it up!
Time: 18h00 to 23h00

RSVP: Amelia Gibson (082 555 1234 or [email protected])

By invitation only

Valet parking will be available to all guests.

Compliments of Event Focus

Photo Courtesy of W Wedding Invitations