Corporate event cheese tasting invitations: what to send

Two weeks before the tasting, the cheesemonger asks how many boards to prepare. You have the room booked, the wines chosen and a WhatsApp group where nine people said 'sounds good'. Nobody mentioned that two of them cannot eat cow's milk. That is the gap an invitation is supposed to close.

A corporate cheese tasting is decided before the first board is served: who is coming, at what time, and what you need to know before you confirm numbers with the supplier. All of it belongs on the invitation, not in a chat thread the morning of the event.

Allergies come before the yes

Before you close the order with the cheesemaker, you need to know who cannot have cow's milk, nuts or gluten. Ask for that in writing, with a name and a date attached. One line on the cover — 'Allergies or intolerances? Tell Nadia before you confirm' — turns an awkward question into a note you already have. A guest who replies 'yes' and nothing else leaves you sorting it out once the boards are on the table.

• Give one named contact and one deadline: 'Tell Nadia by Tuesday 14th', not 'let us know'.
• Ask before the yes, not after: the answer changes what the cheesemaker prepares.
• Keep it out of the confirmation form — this is a short conversation with a person, not a box to tick.
• When you send the final numbers, say how many guests need an alternative. The kitchen needs the count, not the diagnosis.

Exact time and exact address beat the design

'7.30 pm, the tasting room at the supplier's' answers more than 'in the afternoon'. Anyone leaving the office needs two facts to decide whether they can make it: the hour and the door. Put both on the cover of the invitation, above the photos. The address goes with a map, and a line about parking saves three messages.

If there is wine, say so, and say how people get home — whoever is driving would rather know before they say yes than work it out at eleven at night. And spell out the dress code: 'jacket, no tie' works. 'Smart casual' gives you three different readings at the same table.

A tasting invitation has four jobs: the hour, the address, the allergy contact and the date you need answers by.

Confirmations arrive in one place

Replies land inside the invitation in an ordered list: who has said yes, who has not answered, and when you have to give the cheesemaker the final count. You decide what the form asks — name, company, whether they are bringing someone. Sharing takes a link, a QR code or a message, and no guest has to install anything to answer from their phone. If you are organising a tasting for your team or your clients, the invitation is the first thing people read and the last thing you want to redo. Publish the link today, change the time tomorrow, and the confirmations keep arriving in the same place.