Reunion Planning Guide

• Coming Home in Style
• Help is as Close as Your Reunion Coordinator
• Planning Makes Perfect
• Good Volunteers Make a Great Reunion
• Suggested Activities and Venues

Coming Home in Style

Reunions give you a chance to reacquaint yourself with old classmates, expand your professional network and get up to date news on how your old faculty is doing. When you come home to UBC, you can revisit favourite haunts and see how the university is growing. Reunions say as much about the future as they do about the past.

Your class reunion committee members plan your reunion with help from Alumni Association staff. Planning and organizing a reunion is rewarding but involves plenty of work too. You must write letters of invitation, choose a venue and plan and promote the program. To be successful, your reunion depends on a strong reunion committee. Many committed hands will make the work both manageable and enjoyable. Our staff is there every step of the way to give you ideas, encouragement and a wealth of experience.

We support 10th, 25th, 40th, 50th and 60th reunion anniversaries. There is no standard reunion format. Your class has its own personality and will remember the university in a unique way. As well, the kind of reunion you may organize for your 10th reunion will be much different from the one you hold in year 40. Each reunion is a customized event.

We would like to offer this as a guide to use in organizing your reunion. Keep in mind a reunion should be fun, interesting and stimulating event for class members and remember that your success is directly related to the energy and commitment of your committee.

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Help is as Close as Your Reunion Coordinator

We can help plan your reunion from start to finish and will ensure that everyone, including organizers, has a good time.

Class lists

We can supply you with a complete list of all graduates including those for whom we have out-of-date addresses. We recommend you include the names of these “lost” individuals in your reunion letter. Many grads will know the whereabouts of some of these classmates, and can help update your list.

Communication services

Our Coordinator can help you write letters to grads, and can supply facilities for production and mailing notices. We will collect the reply forms, keep track of numbers and supply you with a list of the responses.

We can also advertise your reunion in Trek magazine and on our Alumni Association Web site. We can help you with name tags, place cards, programs and any other special notices. We also have banners available for your group to use.

Financial services

We will assist in developing your budget. We collect money and settle accounts for your reunion and provide you with a full accounting of your event’s finances once it has taken place.

Administrative services

We can coordinate all aspects of your arrangements (except for booking hotels) and act as the liaison with your suppliers and other campus departments. We can also handle special correspondence with invited guests.

We must charge a nominal administration fee for these services, and for production, reunion stationery and mailing costs. These charges will be recovered through the ticket prices for events and dinners.

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Planning Makes Perfect

Enthusiasm is contagious, and the example you and your committee set will make the difference. Classmates who are not contacted personally by a committee member are unlikely to attend — there’s no substitute for personal contact. The strength of your team will build commitment from many of your classmates.

Planning is the key to an exciting and memorable reunion. Here is a short list of the steps to take when you are planning your reunion:

1. Contact the Alumni Association
   Call the Reunions Coordinator. Let that person know you are planning a reunion. He or she will order class lists for you and begin the planning process.
2. Strike a Committee
   Enlist classmates who are able to spend the time and who have a strong interest in planning the best reunion possible.
3. Set a date
   Select a date that is likely to be convenient for the largest number of people, and that doesn’t conflict with other major events being held on campus or in the city.
4. Book a venue
   There are many large rooms on campus, from the Association’s home at Cecil Green Park, to facilities at the Student Union Building and other department buildings. Our Coordinator will help with these decisions as well as assist with off-campus and out-of-town reunions.
5. Plan accommodations
   If your committee member is arranging accommodations, be sure to book hotels well in advance. The responsibility of booking accommodations is entirely up to the reunion committee. The Coordinator will provide you with options both on and off campus.
6. Estimate attendance
   Our experience shows that small classes have a 50% or better turnout from the Lower Mainland, and 25 – 30% from elsewhere. On average, 75% of those who come will bring a guest.
7. Invite special guests
   Class members who have gone on to high-profile positions can give keynote addresses or act as “class historian.” Other special guests, such as favourite professors or other university personnel, should be contacted well in advance. Our office can assist you with this.
8. Plan your program
   Organize a tour of the old faculty or new facilities on campus. Tours of the university can be arranged, as can tours of Lower Mainland points of interest. If you plan a dinner and dance, be sure to develop a workable program for the evening. Again your reunion coordinator will assist you in this area.
9. Plan your menu
   Your reunion coordinator has a list of menus available from UBC Catering. Whether you plan a reception, brunch, barbecue or fully catered dinner, you will find a menu for every palate and budget. Or you can plan your own customized menus, if you prefer. Bar service is available.
10. Identify other needs
    Some of your classmates may require handicapped access or have special dietary needs. You may also wish to have prizes or issue some commemorative merchandise at your reunion. Discuss these and other considerations well in advance.
11. Budget
    Once all of the decisions have been made on the program, menu and decorations, you can determine the budget and ticket price for your reunion. Our Coordinator is able to assist with this and can advise on items you may have overlooked. Reunions operate on a break even basis.

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Good Volunteers Make A Great Reunion

A strong, well organized committee is an essential part of a reunion, and including as many people as possible in the planning can build ownership and enthusiasm.

Organize your committee so that the work is spread out among several people. Your committee should include a chair or co-chairs and several committee members with designated responsibilities.

The size of your committee depends on the number in your class, and how long it’s been since your graduation or last reunion. A large committee is very helpful to the reunion chairperson — it takes some of the responsibility off his/her shoulders and lessens the workload. A reunion is supposed to be fun for everyone! Class reunions will run smoothly if the chairperson and the committee work together closely.

The Chairperson should:

• assemble the committee
• direct all plans and act as liaison between the committee and the alumni office
• coordinate telephone committees
• work with the Coordinator to update the address and telephone and in drafting correspondence to class members

Committee Members should:

• participate on the telephone committee to encourage attendance and build enthusiasm
• coordinate memorabilia, advertising, promotion and hospitality
• trace lost graduates
• plan special activities and entertainment

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Suggested Activities and Venues

Suggested activities

• dinner
• luncheon
• brunch
• barbecue
• buffet
• getaway weekend
• cocktails
• boat cruise
• golf
• picnic
• city tour
• concerts
• key note speakers

Suggested UBC venues

• Cecil Green Park
• UBC Botanical Gardens
• University Golf Course
• Graduate Student Centre
• University Centre (formerly the Faculty Club)
• Museum of Anthropology
• Asian Centre
• Green College

Suggested off-campus venues

Locales

• Whistler
• Grouse Mountain
• Harrison Hot Springs
• Okanagan / Kelowna
• Victoria / Vancouver Island

Locations

• a resort
• a restaurant
• a private residence