Getting your reunion started early is the most important step. The best venues fill up quickly so it is critical to get an early start. Successful reunions take many hours of work and require that we pay thousands of dollars for up front deposits and expenses. Successful reunions generally require 6 to 12 months to organize and plan. Following is an outline of how we get the process started and the steps we take leading up to a successful and fun filled reunion.

Step 1 – Organize a Planning Committee

It may be helpful for you to talk with other classmates about planning your reunion. We can help you locate a group of your classmates to help make some of the early decisions regarding your reunion including choosing a date and considering what type of event you want to plan. Class Reunions is a registered reunion planner with Classmates.Com and several other public alumni websites. We can send a message to your classmates and provide contact information for anyone interested in helping the committee. When your planning committee is organized we can arrange a meeting or host a conference call to share ideas about your reunion. It is important that committee members are dedicated and enthusiastic about your reunion.

Step 2 – Agreement To Partner With Class Reunions

Class Reunions has hosted hundreds of events. We can suggest ideas regarding the dates, locations and the activities you would like to plan. Together with your committee we can plan a well-attended and fun filled event for your whole class. Should your committee decide to partner with us in planning your reunion, we will provide a written agreement listing the details of your reunion and our service.

Step 3 – Contract With a Venue

With your approval, we will reserve dates with the venues and pay the required deposits. We will schedule and sign contracts with other vendors including photographers, caterers, DJ's etc. We pay for all deposits and other costs associated with planning and hosting your reunion. Committee members are asked to purchase tickets at this time.

Step 4 – Build Your Class Website

We will need a class yearbook and commencement. We will then build and personalize your website. We will list all classmates on the site plus details regarding the reunion. Classmates can register and pay for tickets with a credit card on the site or they can call our administrative office toll free. A message board will be available for classmates to stay in touch. We use the site to email reunion details to classmates that register and provide email addresses. Your website is usually ready two weeks after the our agreement is signed.

Step 5 – Schedule Monthly Committee Conference Calls

As soon as your website is complete, our Reunion Committee Administrator will contact the committee. We will provide contact information for committee members to send any questions or suggestions. Once each month, our committee administrator will host a conference call to answer questions and review plans. Committee members will have access to management tools on our website to review which classmates have registered and purchased tickets to the reunion. It is important for committee members to create excitements about the reunion and urge classmates to register. Other weekend activities like golf outings and picnics can be organized during the conference calls. The website can be used to announce details..

Step 6 – Locate and Contact Classmates

Our experienced research staff utilizes several private research databases and with our process consistently locate and invite 85 to 95 percent of the class The first phase of this process will start as soon as your website is ready. We will send reunion announcements to all classmates registered with any of the public alumni web sites. We also ask committee members to provide contact information for as many classmates as possible. Even limited information like what state someone lives in or a persons married name is helpful. We research, locate, call and send a reunion notice to everyone identified in this fist phase. We will then ask everyone located in the first phase to provide contact information for anyone we have yet to locate. We then research, locate, call and invite these classmates. The final step to research is locating classmates that we don’t have any current contact information for. Our staff is good at finding these classmates, which is why attendance at our reunions is so high. We will spend between 2 and 4 months locating, calling and sending notices regarding the reunion. The research process is the most important reason to get started early. Early bird discount ticket prices are available for anyone buying tickets during the research phase.

Step 7 – Formal invitations

After we have located and notified as many people as possible about the reunion, we will send a formal invitation. We have found invitations need to be sent at least 3 months prior to the event. Most classmates have already been sent save the date notices 3 to 5 months prior to the event. The formal invitation confirms the reunion and urges everyone that has not yet purchased tickets to do so.

Step 8 – Phone Call Blitz

This is where dedicated and enthusiastic committee members and volunteers are most important. Beginning one month prior to the reunion, committee members begin calling classmates that have been located but have not yet purchased tickets. The purpose of the call is to remind everyone of the reunion and create excitement about the event. Classmates that are on the fence about attending the reunion are more likely to come if personally invited by someone from their class. The most successful and memorable reunions are always the events that are attended by the most people.

Reunion Weekend

Our staff will arrive early for the reunion to set up photo nametag and registration tables. We will make sure all vendors are on time and everything is in place. Our staff will check all of the guests in as they arrive and work with the vendors to making sure everything runs smoothly. Your reunion committee will be free to relax and enjoy themselves and get reacquainted with old friends. After the reunion classmates can view and order a CD that contains reunion photos and a classmate register from our website. We will make sure orders are processed and mailed. We will continue to host your website and the message boards so you can stay in touch with all of your old and new friends. Class-members can keep their contact information current through the website making the next reunion even easier to plan.