Everybody wants to have a reunion, but nobody wants to plan it. Sound familiar? It’s one thing to get together with an old friend over coffee or dinner, but it’s something else entirely to get an entire
group of people together at the same time in the same location for the same reason without it being somebody’s funeral. Step up. Plan the event. Catch up with everyone sooner rather than later. You only live once. Here are some tips for getting started.
Plan ahead
Scheduling an event like this is tricky because people are busy. To limit the amount of frustration you have about when the reunion should take place, plan a few months in advance. The sooner it’s on the calendar, the easier it is for people to plan around it.
Network the invite
Social networking makes it easier to find people with whom you have lost contact, but to keep from missing somebody encourage others to extend the invitation as well. This ensures that the friend of a
friend who was part of the group is included. For formal invitations, coordinate the networking even earlier so you can gather addresses in time to get invitations out a few months in advance.
Pick a spot
You know the when and the who; it’s time to determine the where. The venue depends on the size of the group you’re bringing together, the duration of the reunion as well as the activities you plan. It could range from someone’s home to a banquet room at a hotel, from a vacation rental to a ball field. You know your group. Pick what makes the most sense.
Note: if you don’t want to deal with catering in addition to all the other
planning, pick a venue that takes care of it for you.
The primary purpose of reunions is to see and visit with people you haven’t seen or visited with in a while, so the entertainment should be optional and allow for conversation or interaction. For instance, if you look for DJs in San Antonio to play music related to the time your group spent together, also consider including the karaoke service. San Antonio has many attractions, but it would be difficult to reconnect if everybody was scattered along the River Walk or at Sea World. Whereas dancing to 80s music at a 25 year high school reunion allows for a sense of nostalgia and interaction. Your friends attempting to sing karaoke to that same 80s music provides storytelling fodder for the next reunion.
Remembering Some of the most common phrases you’ll hear at any reunion:
“It’s been a long time. What are you doing now?”
“You look great! You haven’t changed a bit.”
“Did you see_____? Oh my gosh!”
“Remember that time we…?”
It’s the stories that help everybody reconnect. To prompt some of those stories, encourage attendees to bring pictures or videos of times you all spent together. More than likely the photos will elicit conversation about hairstyles, clothes and other stories not caught on film. Remember, laugh and enjoy each other’s company. You’ll be glad you got the ball rolling by organizing the event, and you’ll create some new memories with old friends.
