Invite pending

Style gurus and artists prefer sending out invites through networking sites.

You are cordially invited for…" You may not have read these lines or may not in near future, on a specially-crafted chic paper invite. For social networking websites are fast outdoing hard copy invitation cards to become the trendiest medium of sending out invites to people who matter.

Fashion designer Nitin Bal Chauhan, who recently held his ‘Open Wardrobe’ event, invited close pals and acquaintances to his store-cum-café for a shopping experience, through Facebook. “I feel that it’s a hassle-free way of inviting important people. I don’t spend time in designing special invites, involving a courier company and then following it up with so many guests. 200 people attended the last get-together I hosted,” he says.

Designer Amit Gupta, known for his label Amit GT, didn’t invite guests. He ‘informed’ people on his Facebook friends list about his show in SS 2010. “Certain people are there on my list because they are important. And it’s a great way to letting them know about the get-togethers I plan,” he feels.

Wide reach
One of the unique advantages of sending out invites on Facebook or Twitter is that you reach out to your clients not only in your own city or country but abroad as well. Chauhan specifies, “When I am showing in Tokyo, I can inform them way ahead through my Facebook account and hence invite them to see my collection, in case they are also at the event. It’s a great way to do business and spread the word.”

Filtering
But there might be a hundred people on a celebrity’s friends list and they may not be intending to invite all. So how do they decide on names to be deleted from the invitees list? Says designer Abdul Halder, “We always send a common invite for all national or international events to all. Then, if people call us to confirm their presence, we check their background and gauge how serious a person is. Only then we send them the real invites. But social networking sites do give a boost to one’s business. It’s a sure-shot way of advertising, inviting and making one’s brand popular among people.”

It’s not only the fash frat making the best use of this medium. Cultural institutes and artists’ groups in the Capital, are also active on the social networking radar. For instance on the networking portal, Orkut, theatre groups, public relation managers of art galleries and other niche communities also inform members about upcoming events and how they can collect passes for the same.