Panelists are one of the most important constituents of an event as they contribute greatly towards its success. No discussion or debate can be conducted without the panelists. Panelists can also be those who are a part of the advisory panel. Panelists may speak on subject specific issues or general topics, depending on the event and place. They are invited to specific events where they can share their views. The process of inviting panelists and conducting an event is a long one. From writing email for inviting the panelists to organizing the event, organizers have to manage it all. However, the task of organizing an event does not end after the event is over. There is one important post- event task that the organizers must do.
This task is to thank all the panelists and speakers for coming to the event. We all say a verbal thanks to them when they are leaving. However, a verbal thank you does not mean much compared to a written thank you letter. You must try to write a thank you letter to panelists after the event. Depending on the mode of your event, you can give this letter to them in person or send via email. If your event was conducted online, then the best way of sending a thank you note would be via email. However, if it was an offline event, you should try to give them a handwritten thank you note.
This letter has many advantages. One is that it will make the panelists feel appreciated and would make them want to come back to your event when you invite them next. However, if you have never written this letter earlier and are dwelling upon how to write it, you are at the right place. We will guide you on how to write this letter effectively and we have also prepared a few ready to use templates for you.
What is a Thank You Letter to Panelists?
A thank you letter to panelists is a note of thanks meant to express gratitude towards the panelists. Through this letter, you can thank the panelists for coming to your event and providing their insights. It is a formal letter written to the panelists by the organizers of the event. It can be sent as an email, a typed letter or a handwritten one. The medium of the letter is totally up to you. However, in cases when it is not possible to send handwritten notes like in cases when the panelists are in different countries, sending an email is the most feasible option.
Moreover, if the panelist is someone you know or someone you have met at an offline seminar, you should try to give them a handwritten thank you letter. Handwritten thank you letters would stay with them and remind them of your courtesy when you approach them again. This letter can also be written to panelists of an interview. Writing it to the interview panelists can be very beneficial as it would remind the interviewers about your candidature.
When is a Thank You Letter to Panelists Needed?
A thank you letter to panelists is needed after an event or an interview. It is a post event thank you note that should be written soon after the event. You should write this letter as soon as possible as this letter might seem useless if sent weeks after the event. Some situations in which you should write this letter are listed below:
- Firstly, you should write this thank you note to the panelists of the interview panel after you are done with your job interview.
- You can also write it to the panelists of the interview panel of the admissions office at a college.
- Next, you can thank the panelists of a seminar conducted at your college after the seminar is over.
- You may also write it to the panelists of an advisory panel at your office.
- You can thank the panelists of a seminar conducted in your community on a general topic of concern.
You must note that this letter can be written in situations other than these also.
Tips for Writing an Effective Thank You Letter to Panelists
Some effective tips for writing a meaningful thank you letter to panelists are given below. Follow these tips for a step by step process of writing a thank you note to the panelists.
- Start with sorting out the format of the letter. As this is a formal letter, you should write it in the format of a formal letter. A sample format is given below.
Address of the Sender
Email Address of the Sender
Date
Name of Receiver
Address of the Receiver
Subject: Thank You for Being the Panelist
Dear ______ (Name of the Recipient)
(Context of the Letter)
Sincerely,
(Signature)
Sender’s Full Name
- Remember to add a subject line in your letter. Keep the subject short and specific. Describe the purpose of your letter in the subject line.
- Mention the correct address and personal details of the panelist in the letter. Make sure you gather all the required details before beginning with writing the letter.
- Address the letter to the recipient with a respectful greeting note. You can write “Hi ____”, “Dear _____”, “Mr/Ms ______”, etc.
- Begin the letter by thanking them for being a panelist. Mention how they were great as a panelist.
- Talk about the event and how the panelist made it better.
- Describe the main crux of the event in brief. Talk about what the event was and how it helped achieve a specific purpose.
- If you are writing this letter to the interview panelists, then you can mention how the panelists asked very intriguing questions and were great as an interviewer.
- Make sure to keep the letter short and crisp. Make it ‘to the point’ and avoid writing unnecessary information.
- Lastly, thank the panelists once more and close the letter with a respectful closing line. Some of the closing lines that you can sue are listed below:
- Regards
- Thank you
- Respectfully
- Sincerely
Sample Thank You Letter to Panelists
A few samples of the letter to panelists are given below. You can take help from these templates and write a letter of your own. You can also use these templates as it is and send them across to the panelists.
Template 1- Thank You Letter to Panelists
Address of the Sender
Email Address of the Sender
Date
Name of Receiver
Address of the Receiver
Subject: Thank You for Being the Panelist
Dear ______ (Name of the Recipient)
I wanted to thank you for being the panelist at the _____ Seminar at the _____ University. Being an expert in the field, you have shared some helpful insights with the audience. We are grateful for your willingness to participate in the event and share your views about such a crucial topic. Thank you for your time and efforts that helped make the event a success.
The seminar was a starting point for us as we are looking at conducting more such seminars in the future. We would love to have you preside over the panel in our future events as well. We will be uploading the videos and photos from the event on our social media pages as well as our website. Please check out our social media pages at _____ and follow the link ______ to visit our website. Thank you, once again, for coming to our event. Looking forward to meeting with you at the upcoming events.
Sincerely,
(Signature)
Sender’s Full Name
Template 2- Thank You Letter to Panelists
Address of the Sender
Email Address of the Sender
Date
Name of Receiver
Address of the Receiver
Subject: Thank You for Being the Panelist
Dear ______ (Name of the Recipient)
With this letter, I would like to thank you for taking out time from your schedule and considering me as a candidate for Assistant Manager profile at the firm. The interview was great and I appreciate you for being a member on the panel. It was wonderful to know more about the company’s marketing ideas and policies. After knowing all the details, I am feeling more confident about this job position.
I will be happy to manage the team and look forward to researching more ideas and framing new market strategies.
I am really grateful to everyone in the panel for considering me as a prospective candidate. Please feel free to contact me on my email and phone number. I look forward to hearing from you soon.
Sincerely,
(Signature)
Sender’s Full Name
Template 3- Thank You Letter to Panelists
Address of the Sender
Email Address of the Sender
Date
Name of Receiver
Address of the Receiver
Subject: Thank You for Being the Panelist
Dear ______ (Name of the Recipient)
I am writing this letter to thank you for being a panelist at the ______ Seminar at our Community event. It was a great experience to hear one of the best professionals speak on such a crucial topic of concern. The community members had a great time and were quite intrigued by the information shared by you. I am grateful to you for attending the seminar and making it a success. Thank you for the time and effort you took to share your thoughts with the community members.
Your comments were helpful and would allow us to think about the issues further. Thank you again for a great seminar. All the members look forward to hearing you again.
Sincerely,
(Signature)
Sender’s Full Name
Template 4- Thank You Letter to Panelists
Address of the Sender
Email Address of the Sender
Date
Name of Receiver
Address of the Receiver
Subject: Thank You for Being the Panelist
Dear ______ (Name of the Recipient)
I want to thank you for benign on the interview panel for admission to the Master’s in Archeology course at _______ University. I came for the interview yesterday morning and we had a great talk on the evolution of archaeology in the world. I went back home pondering upon some important things pointed out by you. I am glad that I got a chance to speak with you. I am aware that you are the Head of Department at the University and I would like to have more of such insightful conversations with you.
Thank you, once again, for interviewing me along with other panelists. After the interview, I am feeling more interested in pursuing the program as all my doubts and concerns were settled by you. Looking forward to seeing you at the university.
Sincerely,
(Signature)
Sender’s Full Name
Template 5- Thank You Letter to Panelists
Address of the Sender
Email Address of the Sender
Date
Name of Receiver
Address of the Receiver
Subject: Thank You for Being the Panelist
Dear ______ (Name of the Recipient)
Through his letter, we would like to extend our sincere thanks to you for attending our college event on the topic _______ and presiding over as a panelist. The students appreciated the comments made by you and the panel. The seminar proved to be very informative and intriguing for the young students. We are glad that you accepted our invitation to be a panelist at the seminar. The real life examples presented by you and your past experiences were also very interesting to know about.
The audience has given positive feedback about the seminar and I am hoping that the students took some positive insights with them. The footfall at the event was also great and the credit for it goes to you as most students came to hear you speak. We hope you had a great time at the college and enjoyed the experience of presiding over our event. We are hoping to have you over as a panelist for our next event too. We will get back to you with all the details of the same. Thank you, once again.
Sincerely,
(Signature)
Sender’s Full Name
