Invitation Letter Examples and Templates for Business Meetings

Send the Invitation Letter Directly in an Email Message

This is by far the most common method. You include all the details of the meeting directly in an email message, and send it to the recipients. This method is much easier and works well if you are sending the invite to a small number of people.

Make sure you include a professional email signature with the email! If you don’t have an email signature, you can easily create a free one here.

If you want to use this method to send to a lot of people, you can use an email marketing campaign tool like MailChimp. This will let you personalize each email, which increases open rates.

Also, writing many invitation emails daily can get tedious, and this is where a tool like Emailmate can help you out by templating repetitive emails.

Create a PDF Document and Attach It to an Email or Send by Post

This method is more time consuming, but it does give off a professional vibe. These sorts of invitations are usually sent to company executives or senior management for their annual general meetings (AGM’s). If you are sending a meeting invitation letter to many people at once, use this method. It makes it easier because the same document can be used for both email and physical letter communication.

Write a Concise Subject Line

A well-crafted email subject line for the meeting invite is crucial. Use words that will motivate people to attend your meeting. This is especially important If you’re sending the meeting invitation to people who you don’t email often. Still not convinced a good subject line is important? Check out this excerpt from here.

The sender name and subject line of your emails are the most important factors in getting them opened and read.

For example, 64% of subscribers say they are likely to read your email because of who it’s from, and 47% of email recipients open an email based on the subject line.

Thought provoking, isn’t it?

Include a Meeting Agenda

The amount of detail you include is up to you, but it helps to provide an agenda for the meeting. This way, the meeting will be structured properly and there won’t be any doubt as to what the meeting is about. Also, sending a meeting agenda can help your recipients think about what they would like to raise at the meeting.

Use Images in the Invitation Letter

Pictures tell a thousand words, right? Well, images also increase user engagement. Your email open rate and response rate will be higher if you use good images in your meeting invitation letter.

Use Company Colors and Logo

Its always best practice to include your company colors and logo in the invitation letter. If you are creating a PDF document for the meeting invite, you will want to use your company letterhead. If you are just sending the meeting invite via email, make sure you use a professional email signature.

You can create a free email signature here.

When/Why/Where the Business Meeting Will Take Place

It may seem obvious, but its surprised how many people forget to include the important information.

When – What date/time will the meeting be held? Be sure that the date isn’t a public holiday. Also, don’t schedule the meeting too late in the day, as it may run for longer than you anticipate.

Why – What is the purpose of the meeting? This should be a brief overview as to why you are hosting the meeting. This can be optional if you are already making this clear in the meeting agenda.

Where – Will the meeting be held in a meeting room at your place of business, or somewhere else? Be sure to include an address if you are inviting people outside of your organization.

Advise the Duration of the Business Meeting

Some people’s calendars are booked back to back, which is why you should give attendees some idea of how long the meeting will last. You may need to estimate based on the meeting agenda you are providing. An estimate is better than no estimate at all, and your meeting attendees will appreciate the gesture.

Request a Response

There’s nothing more frustrating than sending a meeting invitation and getting only 5% of recipients responding. You must specify an RSVP date. If you don’t, it will make organization a nightmare, especially if you are hiring a venue. You need a clear cutoff date for a response and make sure you mention that in the email.

Follow up on the Invitation Letter

If you haven’t received a response to the initial letter you sent, make sure you send a follow-up email to request a response.

Add a Personal Touch

Its been proven time and time again that personalized emails get higher open rates. Inserting the recipient’s name in the subject or in the first line of the email will dramatically increase response rates.

Don’t Make It Too Long

Most peoples attention spans are much shorter these days due to the constant bombardment of marketing emails. There’s no need to tell your life story here. Keep it short, to the point, and relevant. The shorter the invitation letter, the more people will respond.

Include Some Sweeteners

No one wants to attend a 6-hour meeting if there is no food or refreshments available. If the meeting is important for your business, make sure you provide food and drinks. Especially if the meeting is likely to be over 3 hours long. The attendees will realise you have put effort into the meeting and this will help build rapport with them.

Proofread and Then Proofread Again

Make sure you double check all your wording and how you have executed the invitation email. Did you misspell someone’s name? Those types of mistakes can be highly embarrassing and will often haunt you for a long time (through your colleagues teasing you). Double check that the venue is available before clicking send.

Send Meeting Minutes After the Meeting

No matter what the outcome was, always send a thank you email after the meeting. Your aim should be to ensure that everyone who attended the meeting was pleased with the venue, the refreshments and topics that were discussed. This is also a great time to send the meeting minutes, so everyone is on the same page about what was discussed and the outcome.

Example #1

This is an invitation letter example for an annual general meeting, so the email is conveyed professionally and remains formal.

Example #2

Another example of an annual general meeting invitation. Once again, professionally written and straight to the point.

Example #3

A sample of an invitation letter for a staff meeting. The email is quite informal but it gets the message across to the recipients.

Example #4

Here’s some visual inspiration for how business invitation templates should look like.

Template #1

An informal invitation letter template for individual or company-wide staff meetings.

Hi <name>,

Hope you’ve been well.

I would like to invite you to attend a meeting on <date> at <time> to talk about <subject of meeting>. Lets meet at <venue/address>.

To give you an idea of what I wanted to talk about at the meeting, ive made a small list below:

<meeting item 1>

<meeting item 1>

<meeting item 1>

Please let me know by <date/time> to confirm if you can make it.

If you cant come, please let me know what other time suits you.

Kind Regards,

<your name>

Template #2

This is a formal meeting invitation letter template. It’s best used for an important business meeting where you need to retain a professional tone throughout the email.

Hi everyone,

I would like to request your presence for a meeting on <date> at <time> to discuss <subject of meeting>.

The meeting will be held at <venue/address> and <food/drinks/alcohol> will be provided.

The full meeting agenda is attached. However, I have also summarized some of the matters to be discussed at the meeting:

<meeting item 1>

<meeting item 1>

<meeting item 1>

Please advise of your attendance by <date/time>.

Kind Regards,

<your name>