» By: Laura Paladino

I am always amazed when I hear about companies who spend tens of thousands of dollars organizing a make-it-or-break-it company event designed to celebrate a company milestone and/or impress prospective customers. Sometimes these events have big contracts or sales at stake! Yet, often planners will fall short on the most critical aspect of planning the event—the invitations! After all, before a client steps foot into your venue, or even confirms attendance, the invitation sets the tone and leaves the first and most important (and lasting!) impression!

Have a look at this compelling list of “10 Reasons Why Your Company Needs Custom Invitations”. The information in this article may very well be worth thousands of dollars to your company!

1) Double Exposure! – Before, during, and after the event, your invitation represents your company with guaranteed staying power to the date of the event. It’s better than an ad! It’s an ad with a useful purpose that MUST be reviewed, responded to, and kept securely for weeks or months to the event date (and even after!)

2) The “U”-Factor (Ubiquitous Factor) – Simply put, stunning invitations get noticed—everywhere. They get tacked up in communal areas (bulletin boards, lunch rooms, reception areas, etc) or passed around your guest’s office, management, other potential clients or partners. How do you get “stunning” invitations? Through a custom designer!

3) Stay Ahead of the Competition – If your company isn’t sending out excellent invitations, rest assured your competition is! More and more companies are using custom invitations to gain that competitive edge and “unique” distinction in respective industries.

4) Image is Everything – A flimsy self-printed Times New Roman font invitation card with perforated edges leaves just as “strong” an impression as an elegantly shaped shimmering layered silver pocket-fold emblazoned with your company logo. Which “strong” impression would you have your company make?

5) Create Buzz – What? Excitement over a company or corporate event? It’s true. I recently created gorgeous custom invitations carefully packaged and wrapped in the company’s foil stamped logo. They were labour-intensive but definitely memorable invitations. The actual event was a debate between two respected audio engineers – pretty dry by most standards. But the impact of the invitations alone made it one of the most talked about events in the industry!

6) Cutting Edge, Modern, & Savvy – An invitation allows you to make a real statement about your company. Use this vehicle to reinforce your image or insert a more dramatic contemporary interpretation of your company image! It will get noticed!

7) Establish a Relationship with a Custom Invitation Designer – Save time, money, and stress on your invitations! Develop a personal one-on-one relationship with the right invitation designer and you’ll never regret it. Your designer will be able to customize and anticipate your needs while avoiding or preventing potentially costly errors or miscommunications!

8) Good Career Move! – We once had a client who was responsible for planning a significant corporate event. We helped him narrow down his choices to one custom invitation style and was truly impressive and original. Long after the event, he contacted us to thank us and explain that the custom invitations made such an impact that he believed they helped him gain notice within upper management circles which eventually lead to a promotion! We can’t guarantee that kind of success with all of our customers, but it does illustrate that… with the right invitations, anything can [and does] happen!

9) Professional, Knowledgeable, & Your Resource – Don’t Sweat the Details! Outsourcing your invitations to a custom designer allows you to have better use of your time. Your Invitation Designer is a resource for formatting tips/guidelines, etiquette, invitation options, event-planning, and more! You’ll be confident you’re making the right choices and having the perfect sounding board for your ideas too!

10) Invitations are just the Beginning – A custom Invitation Designer can help you make the right choices for all your other stationery requirements. Perhaps you need webcards, change-of-address cards, important Announcement cards etc. You can save a lot of money and hassle by making your Invitation Designer the one-stop-shop for stationery, accessories and even gifts and gift-related items.

Just because technology is changing rapidly, doesn't mean you can forget about the pen and paper. Event stationery is getting a lot more creative and a lot more intensive. I'm constantly amazed by how many company staff people planning events miss out on this golden opportunity to showcase their event, company and product.

Laura's work has been featured locally and nationally across print and television. Her public and commercial clients range from brides to wedding and event planners to celebrities in Canada and the United States. For additional articles and resources, information on Laura Paladino, her invitation design collections, or her select bridal boutique products and studio services, visit http://www.laurapaladino.com