Plaquemine Senior High School
Class of 1983
Planning a Reunion
Here is a listing of some of the tasks to consider:
- date selection
- determine event venue and format
- event program (speakers, tributes, etc)
- event location/lodging selection
- financing
- classmate contact listing
- postal addresses, email addresses, phone numbers
- search for missing classmates
- web site development/maintenance
- decorations
- entertainment
- photographer
- registration & name tags
- momentos
- reunion/memories booklet
- novelties
- prizes/awards
- marketing & communications
- mailers, emailings
- newspaper and internet advertising
- deceased classmates tribute
- additional reunion activities
- school tours, pre & post reunion events
What are some of the upfront expenses we might incur?
Here is a listing of some expenses you might incur along the way. One thing to consider to avoid these expenses is to use a professional reunion planning service. Many of these services will handle all your upfront costs for you.
Timeline for success
While it's a good idea to begin planning our event as soon as we know we are going to have one, here is a timetable to consider for planning your event.
Twenty-four months before
Form a committee
Recruit and appoint subcommittee members
Survey classmates for ideas and venue preferences
Determine event format
- picnic, dinner-dance, etc
- informal, formal
- single day event, multi-day event
Brainstorm additional activities (school tours, etc)
Set date(s)
Scout candidate reunion facilities and hotels
Develop budget
Start developing mailing list
Eighteen months before
Select and reserve reunion facility and hotels
Arrange for and hire entertainment, caterer, photographer, etc.
Twelve months before
Determine cost per ticket Send initial mailer announcing date and location of reunion
Publicize reunion information
- public web sites
- newspapers
Arrange for additional leisure activities (sightseeing tours, etc.)
Pay deposits
Six months before
Mail reunion registration materials
Confirm all reservations, caterer, entertainment, etc.
Select menu
Meet with hotel and reunion venue staff
Four months before
Make payment arrangements with all suppliers for group functions
- meals, tours, photographer, DJ, etc.
One month before
Finalize any last minute details
When should we have our reunion?
Certainly Friday or Saturday are the most desirable dates to consider for our reunion. The most popular times of the year to have a class reunion are early summer through late fall. Thanksgiving weekend is also a fairly popular time as many classmates may be in your home area visiting family for the holiday. There are several factors you should consider when selecting a date. Certainly the weather is more accommodating during these periods especially in areas of the country where the winters are cold. If our classmates are in the child rearing stages of life the summer months might be a more ideal time while children are out of school on summer vacation, especially for those classmates traveling from out of town. Of course fall is also a wonderful time of year as it evokes memories of homecoming and football games. We may want to consider coordinating our event around our high school's homecoming as it offers an opportunity for classmates to participate in additional activities on our reunion weekend.
Should we have a single day or multi-day event?
Some classes just have a one evening reunion event while other classes host multi-day reunions. Those classmates who have attended reunions repeatedly echo the same words after the reunion is over....'the evening went by too fast'...'there just wasn't enough time to talk with everyone I wanted to'. How do you pack 5, 10, 20, 30 years of each others lives inside of 5 hours? The answer is you can't. Hosting a multi-day reunion however gives us additional time to relax and get reacquainted. This is also a far more attractive venue for those traveling from afar to attend the reunion. It may involve a little more work to host a multi-day reunion but offers many advantages to our classmates. Following are some suggestions for the weekend should we choose to hold a multi-day reunion.
Friday night
Many classes kick off their reunion activities with an informal Friday night get together that are referred to as 'Mixers', 'Warm Ups' or 'Icebreakers'. As these names imply this event is intended to loosen classmates up in an informal, neutral and relaxed atmosphere prior to the grand event. Typically these are held at a local restaurant or bar. Usually light Hors d'houevres are served and classmates pay for their own cocktails at these gatherings. We can keep this event simple. We won't put a lot of undo stress on ourselves as we need to direct most of your energies toward planning the big event. If such an event is not offered, consider getting together informally on with some classmates we were close with in high school. It can give us extra time with those we were closest with.
Saturday
While the night is typically reserved for the big event, we can consider adding some daytime events. One of the most popular events to consider arranging is a tour PHS. After 10, 20, 30... years this can be a wonderful rejuvenating experience to once again walk the hallowed halls of our youth. If our event happens to coincide with our school's homecoming or a school football game, we can encourage classmate participation and try to organize special seating arrangements so our class can all sit together. Some classes also organize activities like a morning golf outing, local site seeing tour or a group shopping trip.
*No matter what pre-reunion events we plan, we shouldn't underestimate their value in terms of making classmates more comfortable attending the reunion event. They all serve as relaxers or anxiety reducers so to speak that can help make the big event a smashing success.
Sunday
If our class isn't already burned out from Friday and Saturday festivities, we might want to consider a wind down event such as a Sunday picnic. This is a chance for any last minute catching up and to say your good byes in a less hectic atmosphere. We can also make it a family event with spouses and children invited.
What kinds of activities should we provide at the reunion?
If we plan a more formal evening event, certainly the night will contain a sit down dinner and likely music entertainment. We can add some formality to the evening with an official opening welcome and a few brief speeches and awards before dinner. Perhaps a tribute to classmates who have passed away. One thing we need to remember is that people are coming to the reunion to catch up with old friends. We should allocate the majority of the evening to free socializing and consider setting up a continuously running slide show of old class photos in one corner of the room....this is always a great attraction. We can also set up a nostalgia table for classmates to view memorabilia and artifacts from your class past....this is a great way to jog faded memories and spark discussions amongst classmates. We can ask each of your classmates to bring one piece of personal memorabilia for the nostalgia display. I would like to encourage dancing and make sure our music provider plays music from our era.
Staffing the event
Unfortunately the reunion committee's job isn't over after all the plans and arrangements are complete. On the day of the reunion there will be work of registering guests as they enter. We've worked hard and deserve to enjoy the reunion. Some facilities may provide this service for us or we may want to consider asking friends or family members to handle this for us. We might even be able to make arrangements with volunteers from the class year ahead of us or behind us to provide this service in turn for providing this service at their reunion. Given the likelihood that they may know people in our graduating class it could be an attractive opportunity for them as well to help out.
