Invitations - Just a Piece of the Puzzle

In the sales world, we know that it takes 5-7 repeats (or “touches”) for a sale to be made to a new prospect. When hosting an event, it is imperative that the host understands he/she is in essence “selling” the guest on the idea of spending their otherwise free time with the host. Invitations are just a method of Marketing for an event. They are a “touch.”

I5 (Invitations to the 5th Power) is a marketing method for event attendance success. The I5 system assumes the host has at least one or two touches with the attendee, meaning the attendee will at least know the name of the host when the invitation comes in the mail. Note: for those events geared to gaining face time with “suspects” or business prospects who are not yet familiar with the company or host, more than five touches will need to be made.

For the purposes of counting to five, we will start at Touch 1. However, remember, this is not truly the first touch the host has had with the attendee.

Touch 1: Save the Date Card. These need to be mailed (email is ok, not preferred) no later than eight weeks prior to the event. This allows the attendee to put the date in his/her calendar and/or change his calendar to accommodate the event.

Touch 2: THE INVITATION! These should ALWAYS be mailed. Hand addressed. With a stamp. Your invitee will appreciate getting something so personal in the mail. This allows the host to set the tone for the event (formal/casual/byob/etc) and to establish rsvp expectations. These should be mailed during week 6 prior to the event.

Touch 3: Follow up email. This should go to all attendees. If they’ve already rsvp’d, that’s great. This is just one more reminder of the party. Those who haven’t rsvp’d, this is a good reminder to do so. These should go out during week 3 prior to the event.

Touch 4: Thank you notes or emails to early RSVP’ers and phone calls to those who haven’t. It’s important to recognize the behaviors we want to see repeated. RSVP’ing in this day and age is definitely a behavior we want to see repeated! Phone calls to those who have not rsvp’d. It is absolutely appropriate for you as the host to call those who haven’t been polite enough to tell you if they plan to eat the food you’re providing. You don’t want to run out of food do you? Or worse yet, you don’t want to over-spend to accommodate those who might show up. These should happen 7-10 days prior to the event.

Touch 5: Send Thank You Cards to the attendees. Some hostesses look at me and say, “They came to my house and ate my food; why should I send them a thank you card?” Because it’s good manners and those attendees will remember you and come to your party next year! These should go out the week after the party.

Delegation: The Key to Success in a Volunteer Event Scenario

I couldn't be more proud of my Junior League small group tonight. As provisional members of the Junior League of Atlanta, each small group must play "hostess" during one of the meetings during our provisional tenure. Not only must we as good hostesses provide food and drink, but we must also provide an educational piece about a community service agency that needs help from other Junior League members. Tonight was our night to be Hostesses With The Mostess!

And we couldn't have done a better job.

My purpose for writing all of this is not to toot my own horn, but rather to give you a checklist for what to do when you find yourself in a position to create an event that will (1) reflect on you, (2) reflect on a larger group/organization, and (3) is meant to be done on volunteer hours. You may find yourself in this situation at a charity or non-profit committee or board, maybe on your tennis team, or even with family. Get ready, your events are about to become a breeze!

Step One: Identify someone in the group who is "the most organized person in the group" (Hint: This is where self-nomination is key!)

Step Two (assuming you're the new chair of this committee): Give everyone something to do. I know that sounds contrary to what us Type A's do, but believe me, everyone feels a stronger committment to seeing this event out in a much more successful light if they are personally responsible for some aspect.

Step Three: Constant (i.e. at least weekly) communication/emails is important. Everyone wants to see the progress.

Some key checkist items:
- Make a list of what each person is responsible for.
-- Food
-- Drinks
-- Plates/Cups/Forks, etc.
-- Set up/Clean up Responsibilities

The reason tonight was so successful is because everyone had a task and felt personally invested in the process and success of the event.

My bottom-line advice: DELEGATE!

Welcome

So we're finally in the blog world.
And I couldn't be more excited.

One of the most common questions I get is "why do you do what you do? It seems like it's a fun job, but really...what do you get out of it?" In this blog I will show you on a weekly basis just how cool my job is.

The purpose of this blog is to teach you ways to make your social calendar stress free and to give you ideas on how to impress your friends with your event prowess.

First, let's look at an event we're helping a client with this weekend. The husband is turning 50 and there couldn't be a better theme than the pink poodle skirted, black leather jacket wearing 1950's. The black and white marbled dance floor, checkered table cloths, diner style burgers, and a soft serve ice cream dispenser will finish our theme with grace. Look for pictures next week.