A semi-formal meeting the public is typically invited to attend and listen to the speakers. Semi-formal meetings use some of the procedures of a formal meeting.
a formal activity is a sport like shotput
An example of a formal meeting would be any type of meeting that is held at the work place, for example to discuss a new client in an ad or consulting firm. An interview could also be seen as a formal meeting.
In a formal meeting, you say, "The meeting is adjourned."
A courtesy call is a formal meeting in which a diplomat or representative of a state pays a visit out of courtesy to a head of state or state office holder.
In the context of a formal meeting, an 'apology' refers to prior request to be absent from a meeting. It simply means, that the members are aware of your absence.
It depends on what you mean when you are referring to as a formal meeting.
Formal and Informal.
A formal meeting is a preplanned meeting. It has a predetermined set of topics that one wishes to discuss along with a set of objectives that one wishes to achieve at the end of the meeting. At a formal meeting, generally it is a senior executive who presides over the affair. The members of the meeting are often given a considerable period of notice before the meeting, preferably through formal means such as memos. As the title suggest, the atmosphere in such meetings is generally somber, formal. Informal meetings are generally not planned well in advance. The members are not notified through formal means. They generally take place in neutral surroundings, for example in a restaurant rather than a boardroom.
convene
lobsters backs
so they can get busy