Checklists for reunion planner

[edreamleo]

From Bob Gross: assuming you hire a reunion planner, make sure the planner does certain things:

• Selects a date, location and menu that meets the committee's satisfaction.
• Emails, and creates a print invitation and snail mails it to classmates without email.
• Arranges for a discounted block of rooms for out-of-towners.
• Keeps track of which invitees died, invitations which the post office returns and other address or name changes so I can search for new addresses.
• Arranges for a class reunion souvenir, reunion T-shirts or coffee mugs are very popular. We had a T-shirt in 2007.
• Provides a reunion memory book containing name and address information for all attendees or any other classmate who wants to be included.
• Arranges the reunion sign-in desk with name tags for classmates, and takes money for those who show up at the door (80 did in 2007, where 294 pre-registered for a total of 374 guests).
• Arranges for a photographer and a reunion class photograph, unless somebody on the committee knows somebody who can do it, and then the cost needs to be added into reunion ticket price.

EKR: A great list. I've highlighted items that got dropped out of the committee list. There is a lot of communication/coordination involved. A planner would greatly simplify the communications directors job. Here are some of Bob's other suggestions for the planner:

Have the reunion planner factor in $1,000 for miscellaneous expenses the reunion committee controls, examples:

• Get well or "Thinking of you" cards for nursing home, hospitalized or dying classmates (we had 2 in 2007).
• Any plaques the committee wants to award.
• Any audio-visual presentations the committee wants to prepare (in 2007 Mary Robling arranged for a PowerPoint remembering for the 74 classmates who had died. He have a total of 154 so far this year).
• Decorations for exhibit tables (sadly, no one brought the exhibits they had promised in 2007).
• Cost of postcards to locate classmates without confirmed email addresses.
• About $500 to hire the musician(s).

[edreamleo]

Here is another checklist from web page called How to Plan a High School Reunion. There are a few items there that aren't here anywhere (yet)