In a busy, fast-paced world, many individuals discover it difficult to remain in contact with shut buddies, see household recurrently, and preserve older relationships. When was the final time you noticed your previous classmates or reconnected along with your childhood buddies? If you happen to can’t keep in mind the final time, you’re not alone, however it’s been too lengthy. A highschool reunion is a implausible excuse for previous buddies, acquaintances, and classmates to get collectively, catch up, and reconnect. If you happen to don’t know methods to plan a highschool reunion, don’t fear. We may also help.
On this information, we stroll you thru your complete course of from starting to finish. We present you methods to break humongous duties into bite-sized, manageable items as we clarify methods to plan a highschool reunion from begin to end. Whether or not you’re heading up a planning committee or making an attempt to arrange a reunion all by yourself, you’ll be able to accomplish the duty following this step-by-step information.
The way to plan a highschool reunion your classmates will wish to attend
Monitor down former classmates
Usually, the category president for a graduating class is answerable for planning and executing future reunions. In the event that they’re not or unavailable, otherwise you’ve seen {that a} reunion date is approaching with out an occasion announcement, you might have to take it upon your self. Determine what plans are within the pipeline (if any in any respect). If no reunion plans are on the books, you’ll want to trace down classmates and begin the planning course of.
Attain out to your highschool to see in the event that they preserve an alumni database. Alumni databases recurrently replace with added particulars offered by former college students. Many excessive colleges, faculties, and better studying establishments keep linked with former college students; they preserve a database to maintain monitor of graduate accomplishments, relocations, college students who’ve handed away, and different necessary bulletins.
Planning Tip: In case your highschool maintains a database, it’s the proper place to begin. If not, create or verify your Fb Group, invite former classmates, and ask them to increase invites to others.
Measure curiosity within the occasion
Whether or not you attended a large highschool with a graduating class of hundreds or a small, native college with lower than 100 classmates, you’ll nonetheless want to satisfy a threshold of curiosity to justify the associated fee and energy of planning a reunion. Your target market must be within the occasion to justify the period of time, power, and cash invested in planning a highschool reunion.
After connecting with classmates by way of the college’s database, electronic mail, or social media, ask former classmates to finish a survey concerning a possible reunion. Ask a spread of questions, together with:
- Are you curious about attending the occasion?
- Who’s keen to take part within the planning course of?
- What would former classmates wish to see on the occasion?
- What occasions had been most important in your highschool expertise?
- How a lot would every individual be keen to spend on reunion tickets?
Inquire about basic availability, willingness to journey, and most popular kind of occasion venue. Your classmates might wish to wine and dine at an upscale restaurant, revisit an area hangout, or take a stroll down reminiscence lane by way of the halls of your previous highschool.
Planning tip: Use offered suggestions to pick out a reunion date and site.
Enlist the assistance of a planning committee
Anybody who discovered methods to plan a highschool reunion the laborious method can affirm: even should you began the method alone, serving to fingers will make planning simpler. Kind a planning committee and get the method began. Ask volunteers to take part within the planning and organizational course of and delegate duties accordingly.
You may anticipate a wide range of reunion opinions and visions to come back into play, typically with conflicting opinions. Because of this, you need to oversee the delegation of duties, duties, and obligations, however don’t be a management freak. You would possibly coordinate the general planning course of, however that doesn’t imply the occasion is about you. To plan a highschool reunion that feels inclusive, you must be keen to simply accept concepts that aren’t your individual.
Planning Tip: Encourage enter from committee members and foster a collaborative environment.
Set up an occasion funds
Earlier than the reserving course of begins, create a preliminary funds for the reunion. Establishing a funds early within the course of helps the planning committee decide the dimensions of the highschool reunion. Planners can estimate that roughly 40% of their graduating class will attend the reunion, and about half of the attendees will deliver a visitor. For instance, in case your graduating class had 200 folks, you might estimate that eighty alumni would attend. If 50% of attendees invite a visitor, planners ought to anticipate that 120 whole visitors will attend.
Approximating the attendee rely will give the planning committee a place to begin to construct an occasion funds. After estimating occasion attendance, decide how your staff will fund the occasion. Talk about varied funds particulars, comparable to:
- Are you able to pull from a beforehand established college fund?
- Will you request donations or promote tickets?
- How a lot ought to tickets price?
- Who can pay venue and vendor deposits?
- How will you reimburse deposit-payers?
- Will you monitor reunion funds and funds in a reunion-only checking account?
Highschool reunion planning committees usually promote tickets to cowl the price of the occasion. For instance, should you had been to cost $75 per ticket, promoting 120 tickets would supply the planning committee with $9,000 to fund the occasion. Create VIP ticket packages that embrace a reminiscence guide, VIP parking, or different distinctive affords, at the next charge, to lift extra funds for the occasion.
Planning Tip: Make copies of all ticket purchases, visitor funds, and checks earlier than depositing them to make sure correct monetary information.
Brainstorm big-picture particulars
Primarily based in your funds, evaluation potential occasion themes, venues, optimum dates, occasion program concepts, leisure choices, and actions. Do it’s good to discover a low-cost occasion venue so you’ll be able to spend extra on refreshments and leisure? Can your funds accommodate occasion workers, or will you want volunteers to take service shifts through the occasion?
Decide the occasion service type you’ll be able to afford, comparable to a buffet or four-course plated dinner. Which bar service type will you supply on the reunion: open, partially open, or money bar? Internet hosting an open bar would be the hottest possibility with visitors however can be the most costly choice to fund.
As you brainstorm big-picture concepts and outline occasion targets in your highschool reunion, affirm if there are any quirky concepts, actions, or occasions you’d like to incorporate within the schedule. For instance, your reunion might boast a “Promenade Portraits” picture sales space. Former classmates can develop into their senior promenade outfits, reenacting promenade photographs right here. Encourage classmates to match their present look to their yearbook photographs. Maintain a contest to see which attendee can match up the very best variety of yearbook photographs to visitors on the reunion for the possibility to win a prize.
Planning Tip: Get artistic with highschool reunion exercise concepts. Don’t be afraid to be foolish, look foolish, or have enjoyable!
E book an occasion venue
After figuring out one of the best dates in your highschool reunion, you’ll want to seek out and guide the host venue. If the occasion can’t happen at your highschool, search for an occasion venue that may supply the providers and sources you want, comparable to:
- Onsite occasion workers
- Meals and beverage service
- Parking or shuttle service
When contacting potential host venues, inquire about their deposit necessities, cancellation insurance policies, and visitor rely necessities. Particular occasion venues that present meals, bar, and customer support throughout occasions generally cost based mostly on the anticipated variety of visitors in attendance.
Planning Tip: Keep away from hidden charges by discussing setup necessities, noise restrictions, cut-off time necessities, and different venue insurance policies earlier than signing a contract.
E book vendor providers for the reunion
Analysis highschool reunion distributors early to establish the correct distributors in your occasion and retain their providers. Along with accommodations and an occasion venue, you might have to guide varied distributors to accommodate your highschool reunion, together with a caterer, DJ, bar workers, and knowledgeable photographer. Many occasion distributors require a down cost or deposit to safe their providers. Maintain monitor of deposit due dates by including them to your occasion planning calendar.
Planning Tip: If you happen to’re struggling to find occasion distributors in your space, ask the venue director for suggestions.
Arrange a reunion web site to promote tickets
When you’ve booked a venue and distributors to host your highschool reunion, it’s best to begin promoting tickets as quickly as potential. Earlier than inviting classmates to register and buy tickets, nevertheless, it’s good to create a spot for them to take action. Create a registration course of, and promote tickets by creating an internet occasion web page with a ticket gross sales service. Zoom Occasions, Eventbrite, Aventri, Ticketmaster, and different ticketing websites enable occasion planners to create an occasion web page and promote tickets to the occasion, multi function place.
Planning Tip: Use an occasion ticketing software program app to hurry up visitor check-in on the reunion.
Ship official reunion invites
Mail official invites to announce the reunion at the very least six months earlier than the occasion. Create festive invites that excite former classmates and encourage them to guide tickets early. Define the date, location, and time of the reunion, and embrace RSVP data. Ship future visitors to the reunion web site, registration web page, or Fb Group. Invite former classmates to buy tickets for the occasion and register by way of the suitable platform. Present contact data for the planning committee, lodge room block data, deadlines, and different necessary data in your occasion web site.
Planning Tip: Set the deadline for buying tickets earlier than the venue requires a last visitor rely to stop overspending.
Finalize last-minute particulars
Because the reunion date approaches, manage a gathering with reunion leaders to finalize occasion particulars, such because the reunion setup, order of occasions, and vendor providers. Use occasion diagramming instruments to plan the structure of your occasion, experimenting with completely different preparations, designs, and configurations. Contemplate whether or not open or assigned seating is greatest in your highschool class and the general move of the occasion.
Work with the planning committee, audio system, and particular visitors to finalize your occasion timeline and plan the schedule of occasions for every reunion exercise. Put aside time to rejoice the accomplishments of your classmates, former academics, and coaches. Create a multimedia tribute to your class and embrace a short immemorial tribute to honor former classmates who’re not with you.
Planning tip: Contact the venue, distributors, audio system, or reunion entertainers to make sure that there are not any excellent objects or duties that would trigger confusion on the day of the occasion.
Regularly requested questions on planning a highschool reunion
When do highschool reunions occur?
Highschool reunions usually happen at particular rotating intervals, comparable to each 5 or ten years. Some colleges host greater than others, inviting graduates to reconvene each 5 years, whereas others solely collect for milestone dates, comparable to their 10th, 20th, 25th, or 50th reunion.
How do you enhance highschool reunion ticket gross sales?
Promote the occasion because the deadline approaches to enhance reunion ticket gross sales. Ship electronic mail reminders a couple of weeks earlier than the registration deadline and once more a couple of days earlier than. Construct buzz with sneak-peek behind-the-scenes video, and share content material out of your highschool days on social media to create a way of nostalgia main as much as the reunion.
Why do folks attend highschool reunions?
The most typical purpose folks attend highschool reunions is to attach with previous buddies. If you happen to’re simply studying methods to plan a highschool reunion, you’ll be able to anticipate previous cliques to type again up on the occasion, which may be useful when planning the seating chart or excessive school-related video games and actions.
You simply discovered methods to plan a highschool reunion!
Now that you understand how to plan a highschool reunion, it’s time to begin the method. You’ve got the timeline, instruments, and suggestions wanted to rearrange a highschool reunion that your classmates will probably be excited to attend and can always remember. Get organized, type a committee, and get the celebration began!
Subsequent up, we take a more in-depth have a look at the ins and outs of organizing large-scale occasions. Not like smaller, intimate occasions, large-scale occasions require planners to beat completely different challenges and obstacles. We have a look at the significance of correct, common communication between planners, how strengths-based delegation can streamline the planning course of, the significance of planning for the sudden, and extra. Be part of us as we focus on planning profitable large-scale occasions stress-free.