How to compose the perfect office-party invites

Your employees probably look forward to company parties, no matter how often you host them. After all, business bashes give everyone a chance to relax, get to know each other, and enjoy free food and drinks. Of course, part of ensuring things go off without a hitch is sending clear, informative business invitations to your staff. What goes into a well-written invite? Here's a list of all the information your cards should include, along with some etiquette tips:

Who is invited
Are plus ones invited? That's probably the first question your staff members have about the company party. To answer their questions, say who is invited in your cards. You can do this in several ways:

Addressing 
If you're mailing the invites, include the employee's name on the envelope. For parties that welcome plus ones or family members, write "John Smith and Guest" or "John Smith and Family." Addressing invites this way clearly states who is expected to attend. Simply omit "guest" and "family" in the case of employee-only parties.

Party name
You can also indicate who is invited with the name of the event. For instance, you might call your party the "[Company Name] Summer Family Bash" or "[Company Name] Couples Party." Only do this if it makes sense for your event.

Invites
Whether you mail the invites, create a cool party name or neither, include who is invited on the info section of your cards. Many invites also say something like "plus-ones welcome" at the very bottom of the stationery.

What will be provided
Will your company party have dinner or just appetizers? What about alcohol? Your invites should state what food and drink will be free of charge for staff so they know what to expect. Additionally, note whether you will have food options for people with specialty diets. Provide an email address or phone number for the person in charge of food in case employees need to request accommodation for allergies or other restrictions.

This information gives your staff a heads up so they can eat ahead of time if they need to.

Date, location and time
Perhaps the most important info, date, time and location should be featured prominently on your invites. Include both the address and name of the venue so your staff knows what to look for outside of just a number. 

If you have an agenda for the party, include that. For example:

"6 p.m.: Cocktails
7 p.m.: Dinner
8 p.m.: Company Achievement Awards"

You do not need an agenda for laid-back events.

Contact information
Write who employees can contact with questions so they reach out to the correct person. If multiple people are in charge of planning, also state which one is the best to email for specific concerns. For instance, you may write, "For dietary restrictions and food concerns, email Barb at barb@company.com. For all other party questions, reach out to Dave at dave@company.com."

Once you know what your invitation will say, make sure to proof it. You don't want any typos on the page. You can even order samples of your invites first to make sure they're exactly what you're looking for.