How to Write a Short Notice Invitation

There are a lot of things that go beyond our control. Sometimes, last-minute meetings and gatherings are the only reasonable solution to a dilemma that must be addressed immediately. It’s bad enough that you’re inviting people to an event at the very last minute, but not knowing how to compose an appropriate short notice invitation could potentially damage your credibility, along with a person’s perception toward you.

• Invitation Email Examples & Samples
• Event Invitation Examples

As a form of respect and professionalism, knowing how to create a short notice invitation is extremely important in delivering a message that recipients will understand.

Before You Start…

Writing an invitation might seem like a simple task to carry out, but for some people, it can be quite complicated to start with. So before you begin drafting your invitation, ask yourself the following questions:

1. Who?

Who will be attending your meeting or event? Are these your friends, family members and relatives, or colleagues from work? Whoever your intended recipients are, be sure to indicate whether the invitation is good for one person only or for the people they invite as well. Participants must inform you beforehand in case there are additional invites or plus-ones they’d want to tag along on the day of the gathering. You may also see lunch invitation designs & examples.

2. What and Why?

What is the purpose for the meeting or event? There are different reasons why people send out invitations, whether this is done for a professional function or a personal gathering. The reason for the invitation must be stated clearly to give participants an idea of what to expect. For instance, business meetings that are planned out at the last minute must inform employees of the meeting agenda in a concise manner, otherwise, attendees would fail to recognize its importance and would either be late for the event or not make even the slightest effort to be there.

3. Where?

Where will the meeting or event be held? You must specify the exact location of the assembly to avoid follow-up questions and concern that might not be addressed on time. Make sure the venue has already been booked before sending out your invites. This will prevent a change of simple plans from occurring at the very last minute.

Keep in mind that the location must be somewhere accessible to the majority. If you’re going to send a short notice invite, the least you could do is to make it convenient for everyone involved.

4. When?

Set a time and date as to when the meeting or event shall take place. Though this may be indicated in a follow-up message to your invitation, it would be best to have things settled and finalized by the time the simple invitations have been sent out.

Tips for Writing a Short Notice Invitation

Here are some tips for creating the perfect short notice invitation:

1. Keep it brief.

There’s no point in writing a lengthy, 5-paragraph invitation because let’s face it—nobody has the time and patience to read something that long!

It’s important to keep your invitation as concise as possible. If you’re sending your short notice invitation through email, then indicate the purpose for the message in the subject line. An email invitation does not need to be lengthy, especially if its mere purpose is to get a person to come to a meeting or event. You may also check out business invitation designs & examples.

Cut to the chase, don’t make it a guessing game of who, what, where, and when for attendees to ponder on. If it’s a formal invitation, you can make use of an invitation email template and have the details altered whenever needed. Be sure to provide participants with a gist of what they can expect from the gathering by attaching a short event agenda to your message before sending it out to recipients.

2. Be specific.

What is your reason for sending the invitation? When and where will this take place? Are there any additional details that guests or participants might want to know about? Apart from adding the necessary information, you also need to include any additional details that guests or participants might want to know. The information provided must be specific to avoid follow-up concerns that may not be addressed immediately, as well as to ensure clarity in communication. You might be interested in party invitation examples.

3. Request an RSVP (if applicable).

RSVPs can be incredibly important when it comes to managing events, especially in situations that require strict attendance.

Say for example, wedding receptions with caterers that charge by the head count would need to have an estimated number of guests made known before the actual day. This is to ensure that the amount of food served and chairs available would cater to the right number of people. If you expected a person to come only to find out that they did not plan to attend the event in the first place, you’d still be required to pay for the individual’s behalf. You may also see examples of invitation envelope.

4. Make it personal.

There’s a higher chance of someone opening and reading your message if you focus on making it a bit more personal. Don’t make it look like you’ve just sent the invitation over to everyone on your contact list. Sometimes, people just want to feel as if they’re a part of something exclusive, probably one of the chosen few who are lucky enough to be a part of an event. To do so, you need to maintain a friendly yet professional tone throughout your message. You may also like examples of graduation invitation design.

5. Set reminders.

Since you are sending an invitation at such a short notice, you can’t expect people to keep it on top of their priority list anymore. For this reason, you might want to set a friendly follow-up to remind attendees of the event or business meeting at hand. You can do this a few hours prior to the event to give participants enough time to prepare. It’s also important to proofread your invitation before having them sent to spare yourself from the irreversible embarrassment. You may also check out official meeting invitation designs and examples.

Sending out a short notice can be pretty challenging, especially with the need to communicate effectively enough for your message to be understood. Whether this is for a birthday party or a corporate meeting, if done correctly, a short notice invitation can suit any given situation that you are in. With the help of these writing guidelines, you’re sure to come up with the perfect short notice invitation in no time!