Tips+to+consider

===I got this bright idea to Google "How to Plan a Class Reunion" and voila this is what I found. I know there is way too much info here especially 5 years out but the first part is what I was most interested in "How to Find Former Classmates for a Class Reunion". This is probably where we are now and what we should be concentrating on. ===

We are working on this part now...we have plenty of time for the other stuff.
Introduction One of the hardest aspects of planning a class reunion is locating former classmates. People move or change names and connections are lost. There are methods of making this chore easier, however. Follow these steps to find former classmates for a class reunion. Instructions Difficulty: Easy

Step One While some classmates are hard to find, others are not. Start with the classmates that you CAN locate and see with whom they might still be in touch. Repeat this step with each person you locate and you'll find that your list will start to grow.

Step Two Contact parents. __//This may not be the best in our situation (50th)// __ While former classmates may have moved away or changed names, that's less likely to be the case with their parents. Usually parents will be happy to put you in touch with a classmate, or at least be willing to pass the information along to their child.

Step Three Contact the school. If you're planning a college reunion, most colleges or universities will have an alumni association that may be able to assist. Even some high schools can be helpful in getting the word out about class reunions.

Step Four Use the internet. Some higher-profile classmates might come up in an internet search, particularly if they have unusual or unique names. If you know the city in which a classmate lives, a site as simple as whitepages.com might help you turn them up.  Alternatively, websites like Classmates.com and Reunion.com are devoted to putting former classmates in touch with each other. Register with these sites and you're sure to make at least a few connections.

Member Comments Great advice. Our 'huge' graduating class of 11 students never did have a reunion yet and I graduated in 87'. Sad. But I do still see some of them now and again. Maybe it's time to take the bull by the horns and get to planning one! :) 5 stars

Great advice The internet definitely makes this easier to do now than it used to be. Good tips.. parents tend to stay in one place.

Great suggestions These are all great suggestions and tips for finding your former classmates for that class reunion. Thank you for a good article.

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How to Plan a Class Reunion

http://www.ehow.com/how_8693_class-reunion.html

So, you've graduated and you've started your career. Maybe you've even started a family. Years have past since your last prom so what better way to catch up with old friend and plan a reunion. The keys to creating a successful reunion involve an efficient reunion committee and as much advance planning as possible. Instructions Difficulty: Moderate Steps 1 Step One Begin the planning process at least a year in advance. Select a reunion committee of 5 to 10 alumni, and conduct your first meeting to brainstorm and develop an initial plan. 2 Step Two Locate as many alumni as possible through your alma mater's alumni center. Make a list of missing classmates, and begin a more extensive search to locate these people. 3 Step Three Research large ballrooms, convention centers, cruises and restaurants in your school's town. Call well in advance to reserve the venue for your preferred reunion date. Ask about any initial deposits up front, and inquire about the refund policy. 4 Step Four Consider working with a reunion planning specialist. These professionals can help plan your reunion, and will often front the money until attendees have sent in RSVPs and paid. 5 Step Five Plan an entire weekend around your reunion festivities, since many attendees will be traveling from out of town solely for the event. Plan one main reunion event on a Saturday night, as well as planning a Friday night welcome mixer and a post-reunion brunch or picnic. 6 Step Six Send out initial reunion "save the date" invitations approximately nine months before the reunion date. Include a missing classmates list, and ask people to respond if they have any information about the lost alumni. 7 Step Seven Ask local businesses to provide door prizes and awards for the event. Businesses can receive logos and advertising in the reunion invitations and event schedules in exchange for their donations.

Tips & Warnings


 * Ask attendees to send alumni histories with their RSVPs. Create an inexpensive memory album with a then-and-now for each student.


 * Set RSVP and payment deadlines well in advance.
 * Make name tags for all attendees. You can include a senior photo on the name tag if it is not cost-prohibitive.
 * Prepare a slide show or video compilation for the main event. Ask attendees to send their own clips for inclusion, and return all clips at the event.
 * Decorate the center of tables with balloons in your school colors, stuffed mascot toys and relics from your school era.

Overall Things You'll Need


 * Customized Invitations
 * Electronic Personal Organizers
 * Decorations
 * Party Decorations
 * Prizes
 * Calendars
 * Personal Organizers
 * Computers
 * Word Processors
 * Decorations

Member Comments Try these sites if you want to waste some more time and money

http://RecordOnlineGuide.blogspot.com

My 10-year reunion is in 2 weeks. The biggest challenge for me was finding my class based on 10 year old contact information and getting people to commit. I found close to 150 people on Myspace.com and Facebook. For the other 250 I used their old addresses we got from the high school and cross-referenced them with people search service www.intelius.com. **//__For under 20 bucks I bought a 24-Hour People Search Pass and was able to find most of the people left on my list. Super helpful.__//**

Does anyone have any creative ideas for nametags? I thought it might be fun to list Marital Status, Kids?, occupation, Senior Quote, Post Senior Quote, that way people wouldn't have to have the same conversation OVER and OVER again. At the end of the event I could collect them and put together a book to distribute. Has anyone done something like that?

The single most important thing you can do to insure a good time is talk to the DJ/Band before hand. The people who never left town and see each other every week at PTA, soccer practice, poker night etc. are going to want to dance. The ones who did leave town and flew 1,500 miles to attend are going to want to talk, and they are not going to want to shout over the music.

The ideal solution, if you can afford it, is to hire two rooms. Unless you are from Beverly Hills High, you won't be able to do that. Having the music "on" for 30 minutes, then off for 30 would be a reasonable compromise. Promise the DJ/Band the same amount of money as if he played all night. Impress upon him the desire of half the audience to talk. Reunions are not the same as dances or concerts. People (some people) want quiet time, to talk. Keep hammering that home to the DJ/Band. If necessary, tattoo it on his/the Response to "Surveys essential".

Too many cooks in the kitchen is not good either. Let's face it...it's a TON of work planning a reunion without asking everyone what THEY think. I guarantee, everyone will want or require something different. Who has the time, not to mention the ambition to survey everybody for their opinion? I've done 2 class reunions and am working on #3. Our class has over 300 grads. I don't necessarily WANT to plan another reunion but it seems that no one else will take the initiative. So to keep it simple (and to keep my sanity), I'll form a small committee, we'll plan things to the best of our ability and let as many people we can find know where and when. If they don't like it, maybe they can plan the next one.

Only a handful of people making plans for many is not good for the overall success of a reunion event. In the list of planning essentials you do not mention surveying the classmates to find out what sort of event the majority would like. You need to know the best time for the majority of people to attend, especially those out of town. You should be aware of the preferences as to the type of event. And to be even more efficient, find out the ways they would like their reunion fees dispersed. A few good questions posed to the classmates, before the final plans are made, will insure the best event. Granted, you cannot please everyone, but it should be a goal to please the majority to generate the best attendance. With the speed of the Internet it is possible to get loads of input from classmates. Don't miss this chance to collect ideas, tips and suggestions from them.

Introduction Class reunion planning is an important first step toward reuniting with old friends from high school or college. By building a class reunion website, you provide a means for your friends -- platonic and otherwise -- to reconnect after years apart.

This article will focus on the high school class reunion, since these reunions are the type most likely organized by a core group of friends who still live in their hometown. Instructions Difficulty: Moderate Things You'll Need


 * Local classmates
 * computer

Steps 1 Step One Compile everyone's email address. Start searching email addresses 18 months prior to your reunion date.

Think in terms of six degrees of separation. No one in the planning group may know whatever happened to Joey, but perhaps your Aunt Liz works out at the same gym as Joey's cousin Carrie.

Track down classmates through college alumni associations, whitepages.com, and social networking sites such as facebook and linkedin. 2 Step Two Send a group email. This is important in class reunion planning. Twelve months prior to the reunion date, let your classmates know the date you've chosen to set aside for the reunion. This is important since your classmates may be busy planning big events in their own lives, such as weddings, anniversaries or landmark-birthday parties. At this point the location is not yet important. 3 Step Three Decide how tech savvy you are. If this is your tenth reunion, chances are you or someone in your core group will be quite comfortable with internet technology. If this your fortieth, well, you may have to look to one of your grown kids for advice. Either way, decide how much technology you're willing to take on. 4 Step Four Research online sources if you're unable to create a website on your own. Compare products and prices. Will this be a permanent website, or one that will be dismantled shortly after the reunion? Are there pre-existing websites that are easy for your class to "piggyback" on? 5 Step Five Have your website up and running two months prior to the reunion. Send your classmates a group email giving the domain name of the site. Once your classmates log onto the site, it should be user-friendly. Make sure it's easy for them to find the location and time of the reunion, to pay for their tickets through Paypal, to update their personal and work information and to find out the latest news on their classmates.

The personal information section MUST be password protected in a secure section of the site. This is a vital step in class reunion planning.

Suggest that everyone type in their information no later than two weeks prior to the reunion. This will give you and all your classmates enough time to get up to speed with one another in advance of the big day. 6 Step Six Attend your reunion and ENJOY. All that hard work will have been well worth it! Tips & Warnings


 * Choose a time of year that will best serve the majority of your classmates. If your high school is located in the desert southwest, don't plan a reunion when the temperature may soar to 114-degrees. Conversely, if your school was a short jog to the Canadian border, summertime or the fall foliage season would be preferable.
 * Thanksgiving weekend is a popular time for reunions. Many of your classmates will already have plans to return home for the holiday. Why not combine a visit to the old homestead with a class reunion?
 * If you plan to drink at your reunion, make sure you have a designated driver or take a cab home.

Resources


 * * Planning Your High School Reunion
 * * The Reunion Planner

Photo/Video Credits


 * * Photo by Joyce T. Mann, copyright 2009

Member Comments This is a good idea!! cool!! Good information on how to plan a class reunion online. Great detail on planning a class reunion online!! 5* Neat ideas for me to remember when the time comes. Very thorough and clear. 5* Hey wiseguy -- My FORTIETH reunion is Aug. 1. Enjoy your youth. Time flies by way too fast. I just graduated high school last year, I can't wait to see how people will change. Thanks for the great article 5 stars!

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