Introduction

A high school reunion allows alumni to relive memories, celebrate growth, and forge or rekindle connections. Yet orchestrating them has required better and better planning over the years. Alumni are more scattered than they used to be, their calendars fuller than ever, and their expectations higher. You can improvise your way through a high school reunion but planning a memorable reunion is no easy task today.

Luckily, there are decades of past experiences and learnings to guide you and in this blog, we’re going to condense all that expertise into actionable strategies that make your event truly worthwhile. Let’s get started:

1. Determine your audience

Your alumni are at the heart of every reunion so it makes sense that your first priority will be who the reunion is for. Every other bit of planning branches out from this core decision. For example,

- a reunion based on a school milestone (say a 20th anniversary) will draw in a larger crowd

- a reunion for a specific batch (2004 batch for example) or a geographic location (like the school’s district) will be smaller and better for deeper connections

- interest groups (say, 2005 state champions team) are great for reuniting like-minded people for a specific cause

2. Enlist help

Even the relatively smaller reunions today require more than one person to organize successfully. This is where you should look for students, alumni, or staff who might be willing to volunteer. Depending on the scale of your reunion, you may need anywhere from a couple of planners to a whole committee to help in each stage of your planning. Keep in mind that each helping hand can also be an

3. Choose a theme

Themes serve as the emotional backbone of a reunion. We can’t choose your theme for you as this depends entirely on your audience, budget, and the goals you have in mind. However, we can provide you with some types and examples of reunion themes to help generate some ideas:

- based on alumni batch (for example, an 80s dance for multiple batches with a nostalgic theme)

- based on school traditions (say, a sports-themed event with decorations based on team colors and past achievements, accompanied by a friendly game between alumni)

- based on seasonal timing (like a summer bash or a winter formal event)

4. Establish a budget

Financial planning can make the difference between a memorable reunion and a fiscal disaster. Start by itemizing non-negotiable expenses such as venue deposits can catering. These two will take up a large chunk of your budget.

You’ll also want to think about how you want to monetize your event (apart from the typical ticket sales). You can consider Implementing tiered pricing through early bird discounts or premium tickets that include accommodation or commemorative yearbooks. Crowdfunding platforms can be great to help you subsidize costs for financially constrained attendees or farther alumni as well. Finally, always allocate 10–15% for unexpected expenses like overtime fees or weather-related adjustments.

5. Choose a time and place

Venue choice profoundly impacts attendance and atmosphere. Hotels offer convenience with built-in accommodations, while outdoor spaces allow for more activities and picnics. When evaluating locations, scrutinize any possible hidden costs. Some venues may charge extra for cleanup, equipment, or security. 

As for the time, consider the schedule of your alumni to maximize attendance. Holiday weekends might boost availability but could conflict with their family obligations. You can also consider hybrid options, such as a Friday evening cocktail hour for local professionals and a Saturday brunch to travelers.

6. Set up a reunion website

Once you have your audience, theme, budget, and other basic details ready, it’s time to set up the main online hub for people to learn about your reunion—your reunion website. This is a crucial step as you will probably be reaching out through online communication and you’ll want all your CTAs to lead back to it.

Depending on your team and the resources available, you might already have a solution like Almabase that can easily set up an event page for you, or you may need to manually create a webpage from scratch. Whatever it is you go with, make sure that all the vital details and registration links are up and working. You’ll also want to keep updating the page with updates, maps, walk routes, and teasers as the reunion gets closer.

7. Get the word out

Now it’s time to spread the word and attract eyes towards your upcoming reunion! Promote your reunion on relevant school pages, social media platforms, and directly to alumni inboxes. While physical invitations can be seen as accommodation for less tech-savvy people, they are also a great means to create a heartfelt invitation. Here are some other things to keep in mind while promoting your reunion:

- Your promotions should have all the necessary details (who it’s for, theme, time, place, route, etc.) or direct them to where they can find all of it.

- Some alumni may respond with questions. Keep an eye on your inboxes.

- Promote volunteers or supporters to humanize your event further.

- Share any important updates as soon as possible to avoid frustrated travel bookings and reschedules from interested alumni.

8. Finalize logistics

While your initial budgeting would have accounted for a lot of your expenses, some other potential expenses are best dealt with a month or a few weeks before the date of your reunion. These include:

- dietary preference surveys and corresponding orders to caterers

- shots list and other requirements from photographers/videographers

- attendee gifts

9. Keep attendees updated

It goes without saying but make sure your potential attendees stay interested and informed. Keep mentioning any ticketing changes, crowdfunding opportunities, or fundraising goals associated with the reunion in your regular communication.  As the reunion gets closer, you can switch to more frequent communication to build up hype and inform them of any important updates.

10. Post-event engagement

Depending on the audience you gathered, you can try a variety of alumni engagement methods after your reunion. If you had a reunion of similarly minded or hobby-specific alumni, you can create online interest groups to keep the conversation going. For the most part, digital engagement will be your friend. Annual virtual meetups via Zoom can maintain momentum between in-person gatherings, ensuring your class’s story continues to unfold.

For philanthropically inclined classes, establish scholarship funds or community service initiatives that extend the reunion’s impact.  Alumni located nearby can be engaged through volunteering opportunities to turn them into active supporters as well.

Finally, make sure to include your attendees in your marketing and social media strategies as a segment so you can measure and compare your engagement strategies with other events over time as well as target specific initiatives to interest them.

Wrapping it up

We recognize that it takes a lot of planning and logistical execution behind the scenes. That’s why we’ve come up with a neat little editable checklist to help you plan your next high school reunion. No strings attached, check it out here!

Frequently Asked Questions

1. How can I track down alumni?

Your school’s alumni database should be the first place you look. Social media platforms, yearbooks, and connections to staff or contactable alumni should help you fill out the gaps to build a comprehensive list. For a larger reunion, you may want to form a committee specifically for this task.

2. How do I make a reunion memorable?

A memorable reunion isn’t just about reliving old memories but also making new ones. It is about reconnecting or even making new connections through a common alma mater. Keeping this in mind, you can plan activities and venues that your alumni will remember fondly. Your post-event engagement will also play a major part in their impression of the event.

3. When should I start planning a reunion?

It is ideal to start planning 6-12 months ahead to secure venues, track down alumni, and gather feedback. You should ideally look to finalize RSVPs and payments 1-2 months before the event.

4. How do I handle RSVPs and ticket sales for my reunion?

Your event management platform of choice should be the place for all RSVPs and ticket sales. If you don’t have one, you can use specialized tools for each task such as a combination of Google Forms, Facebook events, and Mailchimp to track responses.

5. What if my reunion has low attendance?

You can try to increase attendees by including virtual events for alumni who won’t be able to attend. If you want to keep if offline, you can use the lower attendance as an opportunity to have an intricately personalized event that will make the attendees glad they made it.