A meeting appointment letter is a formal document requesting the attendance of an individual or a group of individuals at a scheduled meeting. The meeting appointment letter is typically written by a manager or supervisor seeking to meet with a business partner, prospective business partner, client, or prospective client.
Meetings are an essential aspect of daily activities as well as the decision-making process in an organization. To plan meetings for any purpose, an individual or organization would be required to draft and send out meeting appointment letters to all the parties required for the meeting.
A meeting appointment letter aims to notify the recipient of the letter of an upcoming meeting and the essential details of the meeting. The time, venue, schedule, and other essential details are usually included in the meeting appointment letter.
How to Write a Meeting Appointment Letter
A meeting appointment letter must be well written and include all critical elements to get the addressee’s interest and attention.
The steps for writing a meeting appointment letter are as follows:
Section 1: Choose a format
Before writing the first word of the meeting appointment letter, the first consideration for an individual or organization is the format of the meeting appointment letter.
When choosing the format of a meeting appointment letter, it is essential to note that the message in the letter must be clear and easy to read. Hence, choosing the right fonts and font sizes is essential in writing a meeting appointment letter. The sender of the meeting appointment letter should choose fonts large enough for the recipient to read easily without having to adjust the size or strain their eyes. The sender should also refrain from selecting too large fonts, lest the letter looks too long. The ideal length for a meeting appointment letter is one page. The ideal font size for clarity is between 14 to 16 points. Fonts that are most widely accepted for formal letters include Verdana, Times New Roman, Calibri, Cambria, Courier New, and Arial. Writing the meeting appointment letter in all capital letters often comes across as impolite and may also be quite difficult for the receiver to read.
Use a letterhead
Using a letterhead quickly establishes the professionalism of the organization or individual drafting the meeting appointment letter. The letterhead also introduces the organization represented by the meeting appointment letter from the first glance.
Business letter format
As the meeting appointment letter is a business letter, it should be written in a business letter format, primarily when the meeting appointment letter is written to schedule a meeting between two or more organizations to discuss business.
Section 2: Introduction
The introductory part of the meeting appointment letter should contain all the necessary elements of an introduction part of a formal letter. The sender of the meeting appointment letter should include the elements below:
Date
The date on which the meeting appointment letter was written should be written on the first line of the meeting appointment letter.
Receiver’s details
The details of the individual receiving the meeting appointment letter should follow the date on the consecutive lines. The sender should include the following details:
- Name
- Title
- Organization
- Address
Commence with a salutation
A salutation is essential at the beginning of a meeting appointment letter. The salutation is used to address the recipient of the meeting appointment letter, and as such, must be official. An unofficial salutation is only acceptable if the meeting is going to be an informal one.
Place
After the salutation, the meeting venue should be specified for all parties involved, and a detailed address of the venue should also be provided.
Suggested dates and time
The meeting appointment letter must contain a proposed time and date for the meeting. While this time and date may be changed later to suit the schedule of all parties involved, it is ideal to propose a plausible time and date on the meeting appointment letter initially.
Length of the meeting
The length of the meeting should be proposed in the meeting appointment letter. The length of the meeting would better allow all parties involved to schedule a convenient time for the meeting. Ideally, a meeting should only be as long as is required to cover the plan and not a minute longer. Since the sender has already decided on the agenda for the meeting, the sender can decide how many minutes or hours would be required to cover the agenda thoroughly. Once this is done, the sender can include this length in the meeting appointment letter to help the receiver work the time for the meeting into their schedule efficiently.
Section 3: Body paragraph
The body paragraph of the meeting appointment letter must contain the purpose and goal of the meeting. The body paragraph is the most crucial part of the meeting appointment letter, and hence, it should contain the core information about the meeting. Therefore, the sender of the meeting appointment letter should include the following in the body paragraph:
Reason for the meeting
The reason for which the meeting is scheduled to be held must be clearly stated. It must be an important and relevant one for all the parties involved. For instance, a manager may send a meeting appointment letter to a client to discuss a business proposal beneficial to both parties.
Benefits of attending the meeting
The benefits of participating in the meeting and the goals the meeting aims to achieve should be described in the body paragraph of the meeting appointment letter. A meeting between two or more parties should generally aim to benefit all parties involved. For example, if a manager requests a meeting with a prospective client, the benefit of the meeting should be focused on the opportunities both parties would gain by collaborating.
Section 4: Conclusion
The concluding paragraph of the meeting appointment letter should round off the letter with a summary of the meeting and other important details about the meeting. The sender should ensure that the following elements are included in the conclusion of the meeting appointment letter:
Request a follow-up
It is ideal to request a follow-up from the recipient(s) of the meeting appointment letter, as this will ensure that the scheduling is comfortable for both parties involved. It also ensures attendance.
Signatures
The sender is also required to attach their signature and the signatures of other relevant parties requesting the meeting.
Contact details
The sender’s contact details should also be included in the conclusion paragraph to facilitate easy follow-up and response from the receiver.
Tips to Write an Effective Meeting Appointment Letter
As with most formal letters, a meeting appointment letter must be well written, concise, and compelling enough to communicate the importance of the meeting effectively. Here are some tips for writing an effective meeting appointment letter:
Conduct research on client
An effective meeting appointment letter should aim to cater to the needs of the client. It is therefore essential for the sender to have significant relevant information about the receiver. The sender should be able to identify the prospect of the industry in which they are operating and other struggles of the operators within the same industry, as well as the clients’ current interests.
Clearly state the reason for the meeting
The best approach for writing a meeting appointment letter is to state the reason for the meeting as concisely and clearly as possible in the letter. This approach is the easiest way for the sender to catch the receiver’s attention.
Keep the meeting appointment letter short
A meeting appointment letter should be written concisely. Hence it should only be as long as is necessary to convey the vital information about the upcoming meeting. Because it is a formal letter, a meeting appointment letter should be brief yet concise enough that the recipient has all the vital information about the meeting on preferably a single page. Suppose the meeting appointment letter is meant to schedule a first meeting between the sender and the receiver (in this instance, the sender is unfamiliar with the receiver, and vice versa). In that case, the sender is not required to provide all the details in the first letter. Instead, the sender should state the benefits of the meeting briefly and concisely to gauge the receiver’s interest. More details can be provided in a follow-up letter should the receiver indicate interest.
Short sentences are ideal for a meeting appointment letter
When writing a meeting appointment letter, the sender should strive for clarity. The best way to ensure clarity and readability is to refrain from using overly long sentences in a meeting appointment letter. The sentences in a meeting appointment letter should be no longer than 30 words and should contain very few technical words or slang that may be difficult for the recipient to understand.
The meeting appointment letter should include a call to action
The meeting appointment letter seeks to persuade the recipient to attend an upcoming meeting. Hence a call to action is a direct approach to engage the receiver and get the receiver to indicate interest. A good call to action can also be used to persuade the receiver to attend the meeting. The sender can use a call to action like: “for further inquiry, don’t hesitate to get in touch with us by…” or “We would love to further discuss… with you via a phone call at your earliest convenience”. These call-to-action sentences allow the receiver to learn more about the upcoming meeting and answer any questions the sender may have omitted in the meeting appointment letter.
The tone of a meeting appointment letter must be friendly yet professional
A meeting appointment letter is a formal letter; hence the tone should be professional. However, the letter’s purpose is to persuade the receiver to attend a meeting with the sender, so the tone has to be persuasive and friendly. The best approach to achieve this is to keep the tone of the meeting appointment letter conversational yet formal. A conversational tone keeps the letter from sounding overly formal, yet it is engaging for the recipient.
There must be no typographical or grammatical error in a meeting appointment letter
A well-written meeting appointment letter should conform to the standards of a formal letter. Hence it must be free of any error, both grammatical and typographical. The sender of the meeting appointment letter needs to double-check the letter’s content a few times to ensure that there are no mistakes, as mistakes may make a wrong impression on the recipient.
Valid documents should be attached to the meeting appointment letter
Depending on t6he purpose of the upcoming meeting, the meeting appointment letter may require specific attachments to bolster the message in the letter. Samples or brochures often serve to persuade the receiver of the meeting appointment letter to attend the meeting. When including attachments, the sender must mention the attachments in the letter. A meeting appointment letter sent by email should contain a sentence like “Attached are some samples of our work”. If the meeting appointment letter is being sent through physical mail, it should contain a sentence like “Enclosed is our brochure” when mentioning documents attached to the letter.
Maintain politeness and courtesy
The tone of the meeting appointment letter throughout the length of the letter should remain courteous. The sender should use polite sentences and courteously describe the benefits of the meeting and the goals the meeting aims to achieve.
Formal Meeting Request Letter Samples
The Managing Director,
XYZ Association.
Subject: Request for Meeting Appointment
Dear Sir/Madam,
Hope this letter finds you in the best of your health. As per our telephone discussion yesterday regarding the business partnership, I would like to schedule a meeting for appointment according to your convenience. I would like to discuss the partnership clauses in detail.
Working with your company and team members would be an honor. XYZ Association as a partner with our company can be a huge success in future.
Please make sure that the meeting is within this week as I am flying to ABC Country next week on a business trip. Let me know the date and time of the meeting.
Best Regards,
Sincerely,
Insert Name here.
Insert title here,
Insert name of association here.
Sample Formal Meeting Request Letter #2
To,
Manager,
XYZ Company,
Canada.
Subject: Appointment for a meeting
Dear Sir/Madam,
With due respect, it is to say that I, (Insert name here) represent (insert company name here). Our company has not been properly launched in the market as we are beginners. However, we have the best supply of fruits and vegetables. We are sourcing from the best farms in the area. We have an ample supply of different kinds of fruits and vegetables in the market. There are many companies offering us to be their supplier.
Our company would like to offer you to be your official supplier. I am confident that we would not disappoint you. We have the best market rates, which I would like to, discuss with you in a meeting.
Kindly select a date and time as per your convenience and write back to me. You may also call my assistant to discuss further.
Thank you so much for your valuable time.
Sincerely,
Insert name here.
Insert date here.
Sample Request Letter for Meeting Appointment with Manager
To,
Product Sales Manager
XYZ Company
Subject: Appointment for Meeting
Respected Sir,
I would like to introduce myself, my name is (Insert Name here) and I am (Insert designation here) at (Insert Name of company here) Company, which has been your supplier for the last five years.
Our company has been giving you rates, which are much below the actual market price. We were expecting an increase this year but, the rates are not revised yet.
I would like to schedule a meeting to discuss the matter in further detail as there are many companies offering us a much higher rate than the market price. Please suggest a date and time, which is as per your schedule.
I would be highly appreciated. Thank you very much for your valuable time.
Yours Sincerely
XYZ (Name of Sender)
This particular Request Letter for Meeting Appointment with Manager can assist an individual to customize the letter as per their needs and requirements.
Sample Meeting Appointment with Manager Letter #2
To,
Manager,
XYZ Company,
Canada.
Subject: Appointment for Meeting
Respected Sir,
With due respect it is to say that I, (Insert name here) represent (Insert name of company here) and would like to schedule a meeting as per your schedule to discuss the following matter:
Insert Topic of Discussion here, for example, we know your company is finding it difficult to find the right material for construction of buildings.
Our company has a solution for your problem. We have been operating in this sector for the past 10 years and would like to provide you the required material.
Kindly schedule an appointment for meeting and write back to me about the date and time. You may also call my assistant for getting more information and further guidance.
Thank you so much for your time.
Yours Sincerely,
Insert name here.
Insert date here.
Sample Formal Request Letter for Meeting Appointment
(Your Name)
(Your Address)
(Your Contact Information)
(Date)
(Recipients Name)
(Recipients Address)
(Recipients Contact Information)
(RE: Request a Meeting)
(Dear Recipient Name: )
This letter is in response to your departments call for input regarding the new office management proposal. I am writing to request a meeting with yourself and your team in regards to this proposal, and offer my requested input.
I will be in town on business, from (Date) to (Date), during such time I’ll be more than happy to meet with you and your staff, to make the contributions you requested. Three members of my team will be accompanying me to the meeting: Jason Bartel, Kelly Amis, and Fred Connelly.
I look forward to hearing from you. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me at (Personal Contact Information), at your earliest convenience.
Sincerely,
(Your Signature)
(Date)
Format of Meeting Request or Appointment Letters
A professional appointment meeting letter needs to have the following elements:
The return address:
Also known as the writer’s address, it should be placed at the beginning of the letter to the top left margin or the top right margin. This includes the name or institution writing the letter, physical address, town/ city, and its postal code. All this should be written on separate lines ending with commas(,) after which one should skip a line to write the date. In this section, one should not include their telephone number.
The receiver’s address
This should be placed at the left margin just below the return address. This may include the name, department of the institution, and title of the receiver, adding their address in full. One should not add the date after this address.
Salutation
As it is in many letters, the salutation is a formal way of greeting a person. This is “Dear Mr” or “Dear Mrs” followed by the name of the person, ie: “Dear Mr. Blake”. this should be completed with a comma(,). It is advisable not to use “Dear Mr” or “Dear Mrs” separately unless you are aware of the gender of the receiver.
The main body
The body of the letter comes next and this contains the reasons for writing the letter. This may be in three to five paragraphs, containing five to six lines each. The paragraphs can be either block or indented format.
The body of a meeting appointment letter should contain the venue of the meeting, a concise and brief description of the reason for the meeting, the date of the appointment, suggested meeting duration, date of a possible follow-up meeting, and what the people attending may gain from the meeting. To gain a reader’s attention easily one may consider using phrases such as; “Please note that”, “Please consider” etc
Free Templates
Download our free and customized templates from here:
Conclusion
One may close with “Yours Sincerely”. This is written at the bottom left of the page after which you leave a space for a signature followed by the writer’s name.
Some writing tips of appointment letters are as below;
- The length of the letter should not exceed one page.
- The language used in the letter should be simple and not use any broken words in the language being used.
- The letter should have no errors as one should check for grammatical errors, spelling mistakes and punctuation errors.
- The letters should be typed to avoid dirty work presented through handwritten letters.
- Although it is modern to send letters via email, it is more official to print and present the letters physically.
- One should use a standard piece of paper in their country/ region and for proper delivery one should consider using a manila envelope to ensure the letter arrives intact.
