Dear sir/madam:
I’m delighted that you have accepted our invitation to speak at the Conference in [city] on [date].
As we agreed, you’ll be speaking on the topic... from [time] to [time]. There will be an additional minutes for questions.
Would you please tell me what kind of audio-visual equipment you’ll need. If you could let me know your specific requirements by [date], I’ll have plenty of time to make sure that the hotel provides you with what you need.
Thank you again for agreeing to speak. I look forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely yours,
[name]
[title]
Dear ______
______ Industries would like to request that you and a representative of ______ visit us in the United States sometime within the next few months. . As you know, it has been several years since we last met in China and it is very important to both parties that we continue building our relationship, given the new “molded parts” we will soon be procuring from you and the increased business we are anticipating over the next several years brought on by new federal legislation, currently taking place in the United States.
Best wishes,
_______
[Date]
Dear Professor _____________
We are so pleased that you will be visiting Stanford to speak at our _______ Research Workshop on [date]. To show our appreciation for your willingness to share your research, we would like to offer you a modest $_______ honoraria, assuming your visa and tax status allow you to accept this. Please be aware that honoraria payments may be subject to up to 37% withholding. In order to process this, we will need you to complete some paperwork; we will be in touch shortly about this. If you would like our assistance securing a visa to enter the United States, or an ITIN (tax identification number required to receive honoraria payments), please let us know—we will be glad to help with this. We are also prepared to cover the costs (up to $______) for your travel to and accommodations in the Stanford area. We can make and pay directly for travel arrangements for you, or, if you prefer, we can reimburse your for reasonable expenses (i.e. coach-class airfare for flights under eight hours in length, no entertainment or alcohol-related expenditures, tips 15% or less). If you choose the latter option, we will provide you with the forms and information necessary to be reimbursed by Stanford.
Sponsored by a grant form the Mellon Foundation, the Research Workshops at Stanford are unique spaces where scholars from a variety of disciplines and professional cohorts meet to discuss work in progress in their fields of interest. I think you will enjoy a lively exchange of ideas with a diverse audience of faculty and graduate students in your workshop. We will most certainly enjoy the opportunity to meet and exchange ideas with you in this informal, collegial atmosphere.
If there are specific scholars at Stanford you would like to invite to your talk, please feel free to do so. We will be back in touch soon to coordinate the logistics of your visit. In the meantime, if you have any questions, please feel free to contact myself or __________, our workshop’s Graduate Student Coordinator (insert contact info here). The Stanford Humanities Center, the research center on campus that manages the Mellon Workshop Program, may also contact you.
Best wishes,
Faculty Coordinator
Name of Workshop
Stanford University