Reinvigorate Your Class Reunion: a Three-step Planning Process

Planning a class reunion can be a rewarding experience, allowing old friends to reconnect and create new memories. But asking people to carve out time to reconnect with old classmates – who they may already be keeping tabs with on social media – may be a tough sell. 

So, we’ve put together a few tips for class reunion organizers looking for ways to entice old classmates to reunite, reconnect, and celebrate the years gone by. Check them out below and get started planning your next reunion on Ticketbud today. 

Step One: Pre-Plan Your Class Reunion

Form a Planning Committee: Create a committee of enthusiastic classmates. Distributing tasks among a group will make the planning process more manageable and bring in new, diverse ideas.

Set a Budget:. Determine how much to spend on the venue, food, entertainment, and other essentials. Read our budgeting guide here. 

Choose a Venue: Select a venue that is convenient for most attendees and fits the event’s theme and size. Consider hotels, community centers, or even school premises if possible. Outdoor venues like parks can offer a relaxed atmosphere and plenty of space for activities. The venue availability will give you some date options. 

Set a Date: Choose a date well in advance to give everyone ample time to make arrangements.

Step Two: Partner with Ticketbud for Seamless Event Management

Ticketbud streamlines the planning and ticketing process for class reunions – from sending out invites and selling tickets to specific activities, to collecting attendee information and managing referrals. 

Get started by creating your free event page at ticketbud.com. Then, take advantage of these all-inclusive ticketing features:

• Easy Ticketing: Set-up ticket sales quickly and manage different ticket types (single tickets, partner tickets, drink tickets, and more).
• Add Collaborators: Allow others on your reunion planning committee to access your event’s dashboard so you can divide and conquer ticketing, promotional, and reporting tasks. 
• Collect donations: If you want to encourage alumni to support a fundraising effort, you can also collect optional donations at the same time attendees purchase tickets.
• Communications and Promotion Tools: Utilize built-in marketing and communications tools to spread the word via email and social media. Upload your class roster to email save the dates and event reminders directly from your Ticketbud site.
• Real-Time Data: Access sales data and attendee information in real-time to track ticket sales and promotions.
• Secure Transactions: Ensure safe and secure payment processing for peace of mind.
• Easily Access Funds: Get early access to ticket funds to promote your event, pay vendors, and cover costs. You are in control of your funds with flexible payout options (daily, weekly, monthly) via secure payment providers.
• Customer Support: Get assistance from a dedicated support team to address any issues or questions.

Step Three: Celebrate Memories and Make New Ones

Class reunions serve to keep classmates connected in the present and celebrate the past. So, consider incorporating both elements into your class reunion planning and promotions. 

Before the event: 

• Create a Facebook Group: Invite all of your old classmates. Keep the group open for members to invite friends to ensure no one is left off the guest list. 
• Create an Event Page on Facebook and LinkedIn: Spread the word with your connections on social media so people can easily track down event details. 
• Post Throwback Content: Share photos, videos, newspaper clippings, etc from your times together in school and ask members and followers to do the same. Display these memories at the event. 
• Create a Survey: Ask guests what they’re up to now or create superlatives for people to vote on ahead of the event for trivia and ceremonial fun.

During the Event:

• Cater in Class Favs: Seek out food options that remind you of yesteryears. Was there a restaurant where everyone would go to celebrate a big game win, or a lunchtime favorite? Try to keep food restrictions and preferences in mind. 
• Host a Bar: Everyone is now a legal drinking age, so pop a top and have a little fun. 
• Hire a DJ or Create a Playlist: Curate a list of popular songs from your days in school. Hosting a karaoke or time-period theme night may amplify the fun. 
• Hire a Photographer: Get group shots and consider recreating school photos. Pair the photos with old school headshots for a fun attendee souvenir.  
• Host a Photobooth: Encourage attendees to take group photos with fun props.
• Offer Family Fun: Consider ways you can include your classmates growing families in the fun. For example, host a park day or movie night that is family friendly, or offer resources and recommendations for how children can spend their time during adult-only events. 

After the Event:

• Share Highlights on Social Media: Keep people engaged post-event by sharing photos and encouraging people to tag themselves. 
• Create a Momento: Put together all the photos from the event to create a printed and digital booklet from the event. 
• Thank Attendees: Email attendees a heartfelt thank you after the event and encourage them to stay connected with the class via social media. Ask if anyone would like to help organize the next one. 

Get Started

Careful planning and creative touches can turn a class reunion into an unforgettable event. By following these steps and partnering with a reliable ticketing service like Ticketbud, you can ensure a smooth and successful reunion that classmates will cherish for years to come. 

Remember to take time with your event planning committee to choose a date, location and budget that make sense. Then, keep your team organized by leveraging Ticketbud’s features to take the stress out of ticketing, registration and logistics. This will keep your focus on planning a class reunion that is one for the ages.