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Digital vs. physical event invitations — these are the pros and cons
Many event organizers ask themselves before the event whether the event invitation should be sent in physical or digital form. Whether physical or digital, both variants have their advantages and disadvantages. A combination can also make sense.
What is a physical event invitation?
A physical event invitation is a printed invitation that is sent out in paper form to invite people to a specific event. Physical invitations are often used for events such as company anniversaries, product launches or other specific customer and marketing events.
What are the advantages of a physical event invitation?
- Personal impression: A printed invitation conveys a personal impression. It shows that the host has invested time and effort to invite guests in a traditional way.
- Uniqueness and individuality: Physical invitations can be customized to reflect the theme or style of the event. This can be done through the choice of paper types, colors, printing techniques and other creative elements.
- Commemorative value: A printed invitation serves as a physical reminder of the event. Guests can keep them and possibly keep them as a souvenir of the event.
- Higher attention: Physical invitations tend to have a higher attention span than digital invitations, as letter mail becomes less frequent.
What are the disadvantages of a physical event invitation?
- Costs: The production and mailing of physical invitations can be expensive, especially if high-quality materials and special printing techniques are used.
- Time commitment for event managers: Creating and sending physical invitations requires time and planning.
- Missing address data: A current postal address is often not available for all guests in the target group. Feedback on whether a person is no longer working for a company is also rarely returned when sending physical invitations.
- Greater effort for participants: If it is necessary to physically return a reply card for registration, this generates more effort for participants and can therefore lead to a lower registration rate.
- Delays: Physical invitations can suffer delays in delivery, especially if they are sent internationally or if there are problems with postal delivery. This can result in guests not receiving the invitations on time.
- Environmental impact: The production of paper has an impact on the environment, especially if unsustainable materials are used and the invitation process is not designed to be environmentally friendly.
- Less flexibility: Compared to digital invitations, physical invitations offer less flexibility in updating information or adding last-minute details.
Despite the predominant disadvantages, a physical event invitation can be the right choice. Especially if the invitation is part of the event concept.
What is a digital event invitation?
A digital event invitation is an invitation to an event that is created and sent electronically instead of in printed paper form. This type of invitation is often sent via email, messaging services or social media.
What are the advantages of a digital event invitation?
- Cost efficiency: Digital invitations eliminate the cost of paper, printing, envelopes and postage, making them a more cost-effective option, especially for events with a large target audience.
- Real-time overview and control: With digital invitations, organizers can track guest feedback in real time and manage it digitally. This makes it easier to plan and organize the event.
- Fast distribution: Digital invitations can be sent out immediately, enabling faster and more efficient distribution. This is especially handy for last-minute invitations or events with a tight schedule.
- Seamless registration experience: Digital invitations usually contain direct registration links that allow guests to reply directly to the invitation. In addition, an individual event link can be used to create a personalized registration experience.
- Environmentally friendly: As no physical materials are used, digital invitations have a smaller ecological footprint and are more environmentally friendly than printed invitations.
- Customizability: Digital invitations offer a variety of customization options, from different designs and layouts to personalized messages.
- Greater reach: Because digital invitations are sent online, they can easily be sent to guests around the world without incurring additional shipping costs or delivery times.
What are the disadvantages of a digital event invitation?
- Technical challenges: When sending invitations by email, certain framework conditions must be met. Read our blog post on 8 tips for a high delivery and opening rate of event invitations
- No haptics: Compared to physical invitations, digital invitations offer no perception through the sense of touch.
- Less memorable: Compared to physical invitations, digital invitations are easier to forget or overlook as they are less present and do not serve as a physical reminder of the event.
- Limited access: Not all potential guests have access to email or social media. Especially for companies with a high proportion of employees without a company email address or older people. This could exclude some potential guests from the invitation.
The advantages of digital event invitations clearly outweigh the disadvantages. Especially because event communication is not yet complete once the invitation has been sent out. If further communications such as reminder emails or, for example, the sending of final event information are planned, the digital route is more cost-effective, more flexible and faster.
How can a physical and digital event invitation be combined?
One interesting option is to combine a physical event invitation with a digital event registration. In this case, the physical event invitation is combined with a QR code to the event registration page. This variant offers the advantage that participants can register directly via their smartphone and event managers receive feedback in real time. An enhancement of this variant is the integration of an individual QR code per guest in order to offer a personalized registration experience.
Conclusion
Physical invitations impress with their personal impression, their uniqueness and their memorable value. However, they are cost-intensive and require more time. In addition, delays can occur during dispatch and the guests' address data must be kept up to date.
Digital invitations, on the other hand, are characterized by their cost efficiency, rapid distribution and environmental friendliness. They offer a seamless registration experience, easy feedback management and greater reach.
If the haptics of the event invitation are part of the event concept, it is advisable to combine physical and digital elements to offer an optimal invitation experience.
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