Class reunions are a great time for everyone to get back together and talk about how things have been going in the past years. People can meet back up with old friends, talk to people they vaguely remember but want to learn more about, and generally have a good time reminiscing about when they were all together, however long ago that was. But there are a lot of steps to throwing the perfect class reunion, and if you’re in charge of putting it all together, you might feel a little bit overwhelmed. Don’t panic! It’s not as difficult as you might think at first. Here are some ways to make sure that your class reunion is the best it can be.
Decide on a theme.
Many people don’t put much thought into this part. They simply treat it as a formal gathering and have people dress up. This won’t make as much of an impact on people and will be more likely to ensure that the reunion is awkward and uncomfortable instead. For maximum fun and mingling, set up a class reunion theme! Not only will a theme make your class reunion one to remember, but it will also get people talking. The best themes are ones that make people think of the time when they were still together as a class, so consider going old-school for your theme!
Plan far in advance.
To ensure the highest turnout rate, you should plan your reunion about a year in advance, or more if possible. The most popular month to hold a class reunion is July, with August not far behind — likely because summers tend to be more laid-back, and are an easier and more common time to travel. You need to determine when a good time for your reunion will be, taking into account where you’ll be holding the reunion. In a colder place, you might want to hold it a little earlier in the summer, while closer to the equator, you’ll want to plan it closer to fall. Collaborate with your venue to determine an ideal time, and make sure your invitations are ready to go no later than a year in advance.
Fundraise.
The ticket to the class reunion genuinely only covers dinner, with maybe a little extra if the dinner is fairly inexpensive. If you want to go all-out, you’ll need to do some fundraising. Sometimes, that comes in the form of asking those who will be coming to the reunion to donate some funds before the event or collaborating with the school to get a budget big enough for your reunion ideas. Some more out-of-the-box ideas include asking local businesses if they’re interested in sponsoring the reunion or providing supplies in exchange for free advertising. Starting to plan early in advance helps you with this as well because you won’t have to worry about finding the money to finish your reunion plans in a short amount of time.
Get ahold of all your classmates.
This is usually the most difficult part and the part that many people dread. Don’t worry though! You can get all the contact information you need through PeopleFinders. Just by knowing a classmate’s first and last name, as well as their city and state, you can use the people search function to get their current contact information. It can be helpful to know that more than 60% of people stay in their home state after graduation, so just entering the city and state of the school might get you most of the results you need! If you have old phone numbers, the reverse phone lookup feature can give you much of the same information but without having to discover their whereabouts first.
Conclusion
Throwing a class reunion can be an incredibly rewarding experience, both for you and for the people who attend. But it’s not a walk in the park, and it’s important to have some help. When it comes time to get ahold of all your classmates and ask them to come, use PeopleFinders. It will make combing through old records a thing of the past, and you’ll be sure to get the highest turnout possible.
