Electronic Party Invitations

Online Party Invitations
Hosts have the choice of hard copy invitations (stationery item ST101) or our new electronic party
invitations.
This eco-friendly alternative will help our environment because the invitations are emailed, which
in turn will save you money, save your Hosts postage and help you to project a professional
image while maintaining the Lorraine Lea brand.
The invitations are quick and easy to set up and send. In summary:
• Fill out the form
• Form details go into a document
• Document attaches to an email
• Email is sent to the Host
• Host forwards email to guests, or
• Host prints & posts/hand delivers
So long as the Host uses email, the process caters for all party guests, whether they use email or
not. All you have to do is fill out the form on our website.
Here’s what you do
1. After you’ve given out the Host Pack, go to our website:
www.linenparties.com, login to the Consultants’ section and go to At the Frontline. Click
the link to Party Invitation Form. The form will open up in a new tab.
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2. To set up the invitation for your party, enter all the details into the form. Sections with a *
must be filled in.
Your name, Kit number and email address are already filled in, but you can change your email
address if you wish.
The Organisation field is for when the party is a fundraiser or corporate/business party, or if it’s
going to be held in a venue other than a private home.
To make it as easy as possible for guests to RSVP to the Host, there are spaces for 2 different
Host phone numbers. There’s no need to use an area code and it’s best not to use spaces in the
number.
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In the party information section, use the Property Name field when parties are held on a farm that
has its own name or in a church or community hall. It’s simply meant to help guests find the
venue where the party will be held.
Continue through the form, entering the address details. For New Zealand Consultants, the Post
Code field is not mandatory.
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Date of the party: Click the icon next to the box to use the ‘Date Picker Calendar’. Use the single
arrow to switch to the next month. Click on the date in the calendar and it will be entered into the
box.
Time: The first box is for the time; the second box is for either AM or PM.
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If you forget to select AM or PM, the form won’t submit. Instead, a red box will show on the form
indicating what’s missing.
Use the calendar picker again for the RSVP date. Be sure that it’s before the date the party is due
to be held. During Host Coaching, you’ll need to work out what RSVP date is best for them.
Notes: Use this box only if there are special instructions for guests. For example, ‘Children
welcome’ or ‘Parking available in the side street’.
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TIP: To ensure you gather all the necessary details to fill out the party invitation form, you can
print the form out from the website and take a few copies with you to every party. Then when you
take the booking details, you could ask the future Hosts to help you by filling it out.
3. Once the form is complete, click the Preview your invitation button.
If you forget to enter any necessary info, the preview won’t load. Instead the form will
show where the forgotten info is:
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TIP: So that your email doesn’t come across as though you’re SHOUTING at your Host, don’t use
ALL CAPS in the form; use upper and lower case letters.
4. On the preview screen, check that all party details are correct (and there are no spelling
errors in the invitation). Use the scroll bar on the right hand side to move to the bottom
section of the invitation.
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Notice that we’ve included all the standard party info in the invitation so you don’t need to add
anything else. And it’s been written as though it has come directly from the Host – after all, it’s the
Host who is inviting the guests to their party. It has the Host’s name signed at the bottom, and
your name has been inserted, too.
To make changes, click the Edit button (bottom left corner of page). Click Preview your invitation
again when you’re finished.
Once you’re satisfied you’ve entered the party details correctly, click the Send button.
Click the Start a new invitation button if you have invitations to set up.
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On clicking send, the invitation is attached to a plain text email as a PDF and the email is sent to
the Host, with a CC to you. That means you’ll receive a copy in your Inbox, too. This is how it will
look when the invitation arrives in your email Inbox, in this case, I’m using the Outlook program.
The email contains a summary of the party details and a short message that directs the Host to
forward the email to their guests. And of course the full invitation appears as an attachment.
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Here’s how the invitation looks when it opens in the Adobe Acrobat Reader program. There’s a
link in the email to download this program if necessary.
This invitation can be printed off for future reference, or for the Host to post or hand deliver to
guests who don’t use email.
There are 3 links in the invitation. When the email link is clicked it will start a new message to the
Host using an email program like Outlook, Outlook Express or Thunderbird. If a warning message
appears, click the Allow button as it’s quite safe to create a new email message.
The other links in the PDF go to the Lorraine Lea site where guests can view a sample of our
range, or find out more about starting their Mobile Linen Business.
So that’s it. Simple isn’t it? Before you do a real one, why not do a test run? Once you get to the
preview to check how it looks, just click the Edit button to return to the form, or simply close the
window and start over. Or use your own email address for the Host and complete the process.
Happy partying!!
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