Planning a Reunion
It is funny, because there are some people who avoid these types of events. But over and over again I'm told "I'm so glad I came - I had so much fun!" If you haven't been to one, I encourage you to go. But if you are reading this, you are probably the one in charge of planning it! So, here are some helpful hints - whether you are planning something for your class, family or other group.
First, you'll want to gather as many helpers together as possible. The more volunteers, the better. Of course, you can do it all yourself, but it will be more work. Get busy tracking down addresses for everyone. Keep a "lost" list of those who you have not found an address for, and publish it to everyone periodically. Sometimes someone else will still be in contact with the "missing" person. Some ideas for looking up people are facebook, whitepages.com. For school reunions there are reunion sites like classmates.com and possibly the alumni office at the school. Find a venue, set a date, and let everyone know! It is never to early to ask people to "save the date". Especially those who are coming from out of town. I've announced the date as early as a year in advance. You can send emails or postcards to everyone, but keep in contact. You'll also want to send reminders as the time draws nearer (be sure to include that "lost" list too!).
Some popular ideas are: Ask people for their memories - this can be a great way to get people excited about the event. Share them with everyone by printing or emailing them out. Do you have old photos? Create a slide show. You can even sell copies to help offset the cost of the party. My biggest piece of advice is to remember that the reason everyone is getting together isn't to spend a lot of money and have a fancy time. The purpose is to see each other and reminisce. That is what it is all about!
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Speaking of a venue - you'll need something to hold everyone. Go ahead an plan for the usual "attendance" rate - which would be 1/4 to 1/3 of those invited attending. If you have more than that, the better!
