Are you thinking of holding a reunion? A reunion is a fantastic way to gather all your college friends together, catch up and renew old friendships. We are happy to give you advice on planning your reunion and help you to get the ball rolling!
Planning
There are a few key decisions you need to make before you can start organising:
- Audience– who is your reunion for? Is it for everyone from your year, course or from a society. There are lots of options but once you have decided this, it all becomes much more manageable.
- Event– next you need to decide what type of event you want to hold. Would you prefer a day of campus tours and lunch, or a chance to visit the Students Union and have dinner in one of your old haunts? We can help by putting you in touch with hotels in Limerick or with the right department in the Institute.
- Date– do you have a date in mind? Is there a significant date with meaning to you all? Ensure you will be giving yourself enough time to organise and enough notice for those travelling from oversees.
Next Step
Organising a reunion requires time and effort but can be fun and ultimately very rewarding. Once you have decided on a date, the event and the group you would like to invite, you can get to the real planning.
- Invitations– would you prefer to contact people by email or letter, or would you prefer to advertise the event on a social media site such as Facebook? Set a deadline for people to RSVP to give you time to book enough food or accommodation. The alumni department can help distribute invitations to people you might not have contact details for.
- Publicity– the alumni department can help by putting information up on social media sites and on the alumni website page.
- Records– keep a note of who has responded with any special requirements and their payments. Depending on whether or not you are having your reunion on campus, the alumni department can help with keeping the records and payments.
- Where are you going to have it? The budget for the event, time of year or type of event may influence where you choose to hold the event.
- Venue - do you want the event to be on campus, hotel, restaurant?
- Public transport - will the venue need to be easily accessible by public transport? Will there be a need for parking or disabled access?
- Accommodation - if the event is in the evening do you want to offer accommodation to guests?
The Event
- What kind of event? - Drinks in a bar? Buffet? Sit down dinner? Day time event? Entertainment? Photographer? Tours of campus?
- Costs - remember that you will need to take all costs into consideration - catering, venue hire, accommodation and any entertainment.
- Charging - if you are charging, plan how you would like to collect the money.
- Tickets - will you need tickets for the events?
Get our Support
- Find a friend– if you have lost contact with some of your friends we may have contact details for them. Under the terms of the Data Protection Act we are unable to release contact details for our alumni directly but the Alumni Engagement Team will be able to send a message on your behalf to lost friends. Contact the Alumni Department on 061 293454 or email us at alumni@lit.ie and let us know with whom you want to get in touch.
- Mass email- we can send an invitation email to your target group, just let us know who you want to invite.
- Advertise- we can advertise your event on the alumni website, through our publications and on our social media sites - just email us with the details. Why not set up an event on Facebook?
- Campus tours– if you want a campus tour as part of your reunion we can help organise this.
- Department - we can put you in touch with your old department if you want to visit or invite staff along.
- Photography - Contact the alumni department if you would like a professional photographer to attend.
- We are unable to subsidise or run events for you but we are here to offer support and advice where we can.
On the Day
Don't forget to:- Make a list of all those attending – don't forget to record who actually turned up.
- Hand out any badges - it might help people recognise each other!
- Bring a comments book – encourage those attending to collate their memories.
- Take lots of photographs.
- Canvass people to see if they want to do it again.
- Enjoy yourself!
After the Reunion
- We would love to hear how everything went and see any photos. It would be great to include these on our website to encourage others to hold reunions
- Please provide us with a full list of who attended including their contact details, so we can update our database, this helps when planning future reunions
And finally...
- The most important outcome of organising a reunion is that you enjoy yourself and getting old friends back together. The alumni department is happy to help you every step of the way to achieve your perfect reunion. If you have any questions please don't hesitate to contact the alumni department on alumni@lit.ie or 061293454
Class Gifts
Many reunion groups are choosing to make a class gift to the Institute Foundation Fund, from scholarships and Enterprise Ladder Funds, there are many areas where your gift can make an impact.
Hope to hear from you soon!