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Crafting a Class Reunion Video They Won’t Forget

Oct 13, 2014

Now that (just about) everyone is on Facebook documenting their every move, it can make reunions a bit dull. You walk into your high school gymnasium 20 years after graduating and, yawn, you see the typical slideshow of old pictures you’ve seen a hundred times. Liven up your reunion with these creative video ideas.

Before and After

It’s easy to grab a standard yearbook picture and put it next to a new picture to create a before and after video. Step up your game and recreate yearbook pictures that aren’t the ones staged in front of a cheesy backdrop. Have the band get back together and snap a pic just like the one of them winning the marching competition. Get the cheerleaders in their uniforms to perform the epic basket toss from the senior year homecoming game.

Where Are They Now?

Before the big event have guests submit their greatest accomplishments since leaving school. You can even ask them to send pictures to go with their responses. From the answers and images you can create a video showing off the time Tim traveled to Greece to herd goats and when Karla won a t-shirt at the pie eating contest. It’s a easy and fun way to get everyone caught up on where all the time has gone.

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How to make an awesome alumni reunion promo video.

November 19, 2019

Last modified: 

Alumni reunions are one of the best ways to get your alumni’s attention. Period. 

But, what would you say is the best way to get your alumni’s attention for them to participate in these reunions?

Alumni reunion promo videos, YASS. 

The first peek into your upcoming event , alumni reunion promo videos are a great way to capture your alumni’s attention, evoking curiosity and nostalgia. Often, such videos are meant to be a teaser to your main event, giving away only small bits of information and hooking your audience with an incentive to reveal more soon.  

Why alumni reunion promo videos work?

According to a study conducted by Forbes in 2017, viewers are 95% more likely to remember a call-to-action after watching a video, as compared to 10% when reading it in text format. 

In addition to videos being the most powerful content format in the digital age, alumni reunion promo videos work because of the high level of personalization involved. A massive benefit of using the video format in your marketing plan is that it’s easy to share via social media channels and personal networks. Even if you have limited alumni contacts to send your promo video to, your alumni can further share it within their networks, influencing a much broader reach. 

While promo videos may not actually reveal a lot, they act as the perfect way to set the mood for your upcoming event. Here’s how Greater Atlanta Christian School created an alumni reunion promo video, perfectly capturing the spirit of their upcoming event, Alumni Weekend 2018.

What makes an alumni reunion promo video awesome?

While alumni reunion promo videos sound exciting, there’s a lot of planning and prepping that needs to be done well in advance. From identifying the location of the shoot to the people who’re going to feature in it, everything needs to be well thought out.  

Here are the key elements pivotal to making an awesome alumni reunion promo video:  

1. Feature recognizable and relatable people in your video Featuring those who are recognizable and relatable to your alumni is critical to your video’s success. You could choose to feature anybody, be it professors, students, or maybe even an influential set of people who your alumni might feel delighted to hear from. 

2. Shoot your video on-campus The best location to shoot your reunion promo is your own campus. Shooting the video in multiple locations within your school campus adds a nostalgic factor to it and helps your alumni relate better.

3. Ensure maximum reach Work doesn’t stop once you’re done creating the video. The next step is to maximize its reach. Ensuring your alumni don’t miss out on this video is integral. Other than sharing it on social media, emails, and encouraging alumni to share it within their networks, try to publicize this video in alumni groups, in order to reach maximum people.

Blackbaud, the leading provider of software for powering social impact, and Almabase, the digital-first alumni engagement solution, have announced the expansion of their partnership to the education sectors of Canada and the United Kingdom. The partnership will provide institutions with a modern, digital-first solution to improve constituent data, drive self-serve engagement, and boost event participation.

A Unified Vision

The partnership aligns with Blackbaud’s commitment to customer-centric innovation across digital engagement, Advancement CRM, and financials.

“Partners bring integrated capabilities that extend capabilities and outcomes for Blackbaud customers. We are thrilled that Almabase’s offering, integrated with Blackbaud Raiser’s Edge NXT® and leveraging Blackbaud’s best-in-class payment solution, Blackbaud Merchant Services™, is now available to even more of our customers around the world.”

- Liz Price, Sr. Director of Global Partners at Blackbaud

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Looking for ways to maximize alumni participation for your upcoming reunion? These are the 8 key learnings from analyzing over 300 reunions.

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Reunions Reinvented

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How to create a virtual class reunion…just in case.

But they are.

So, here is a 2021 update of our most popular 2020 blog post,  “How to create a virtual reunion…just in case,”  based on what we learned from the fall 2020 reunions.

Create class  committees Just because your reunion is virtual doesn’t mean you don’t need  reunion committees.  Even more than  an on-the-ground  reunion, a successful  virtual reunion needs  your alumni’s input, buy-in, and help to spread the word.

Are you unsure whether your reunion will take place in person or remotely this spring or fall? Don’t delay forming committees. It’s okay to take your alumni along for a little roller-coaster ride.

Keep it simple When planning your virtual reunion schedule and events, keep in mind that alumni’s time is limited  and your resources to execute the events may be limited too. A few key virtual programs offered over a short period of time will do the job nicely.

Stick with proven themes for virtual programming The most successful 2020  virtual  events centered around four  main themes:

• Giving  virtual twists to your most  popular in-person reunion events.
• Showcasing  the accomplishments of your alumni  and  school.
• Using your popular professors to drive attendance.
• Hosting a class Zoom party.

Generate excitement for your reunion Whether your reunion is virtual, on the ground, or you are just not sure, precede it with e-newsletters tailored to each  class and  a reunion class book for your milestone/spirited classes. Both (1) create the intimate connections that alumni want in their reunions; (2) generate excitement for your school’s reunions; and (3) make it  easy to spark conversations in person or in class reunion Zooms.

How do I know?   My mission over the past 12 years has been to generate momentum for school reunions in the months leading up to their reunions by creating engaging class e-newsletters and customized reunion class books. My virtual model takes this tried-and-tested business model one step further by creating interactive online programming too.

Alumni are more available now than ever. Take advantage of this time to strengthen your school’s relationship with them. Turn the 2021 reunion cycle into a uniquely memorable one instead of a disappointment.

For more information on how to facilitate a successful school reunion or to learn more about our turnkey reunion class books  call   Margie at Reunions Reinvented . We are here to help!

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How to Make a Video for a Class Reunion

Instructions

Collect pictures and video clips from the past. Gather them in one folder in the computer and make sure you know every friend that is being mocked because you don’t want to create any basis for stupid fights. Be careful when exposing relationships and other personal things.

Tell everyone that you are going to create a class reunion video but don’t tell the content of the video. It should be a surprise for everyone.

Go to ‘Start’ that is located in the left-bottom corner of the desktop. Go to ‘Programs’ and find ‘Movie Maker’. Open the software. It is automatically installed with the installation of windows.

Put pictures and text with the help of the options provided to you. Start a new Project. Copy all the photos to the portal of the Software window.

Download some songs that you like and can fit behind a video which is created on the theme of eternal friendship. Copy them in the portal of the Software window as well.

Create a slideshow and put background music in the video. Save the file and render it.

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12 Unique Class Reunion Ideas for Your Next Get-Together

Planning a high school reunion is an exciting time — you get to meet up with old classmates and reminisce about the good ol’ times. And with the right class reunion ideas , you can plan and host yet another memorable day for everyone involved.

If you’re looking for inspiration for your next class reunion , keep on reading. In this guide, we’ll share our top class reunion ideas so you can plan the kind of party your former classmates won’t want to miss.

12 Fun Class Reunion Ideas to Bring Everyone Together

Ready to start planning the best class reunion ever? Use these high school reunion ideas to put together the most amazing get-together — whether it’s a recreation of a high school disco party or a more relaxed gathering to celebrate everyone’s successes in life.

1. Make It Collaborative

Reunion planning can be time-consuming, so it makes sense to gather a planning committee if you can. Not only is this a great way to get former classmates involved and give them a more “ hands-on ” experience, but it also means less work for you!

Create an all-star team of former classmates who can help you plan the best reunion ever. Make a to-do list and assign tasks to everyone, making sure that everything’s covered and everyone has something to do.

2. Use Themed Reunion Party Invitations

Design: Holly Whitcomb

Invitation Inspiration: Contemporary Reunion Invitation

When it’s time to start inviting your former classmates to the celebration, use our themed class reunion invitations to do it. Every design can be customized, so you can create one-of-a-kind invites to match your reunion party theme and details.

Browse through our collection of online invitations until you find one you like, then change the layout, fonts, colors, and photos to make it your own. Add your own event wording, along with the essentials like the party date, time, and venue.

Not only are our digital invites easy to design and send, but they make tracking RSVPs easy, too. Your guests can accept or decline in just a few clicks, and you can easily see your RSVP list in one place. No more chasing guests for acceptances or losing track of who is attending.

3. Prepare Name Tags

If it’s been a while since your old classmates last saw each other, it can be tough to remember what everyone looks like! Make sure you prepare name tags for everyone so there’s no confusion over who is who.

In fact, with Greenvelope, you can generate name tags from your online invitation guest list. In addition to your former classmate ’s name, you could also include the nickname they were known by to make identifying everyone even easier.

4. Plan Some Icebreakers

Striking up a conversation with someone isn’t always easy, even if you used to run around with them in high school. Create opportunities for conversation and make it easier for all the introverts to get involved with some fun icebreakers .

Popular icebreakers like a game of “Would you rather?” or “This or That” can be a good way to encourage conversation and loosen everyone up, making the event easier to enjoy. Host these games as a group, or leave some game prompts out on a table for people to pick up and try on their own.

5. Use Your High School Colors

Design: Ashley Ottinger

Matching invite: Reunion Script Invitation

Make it easy to come up with a   party theme and color scheme by reusing your high school colors and school logo in your class reunion decorations . This is a favorite tip for high school graduation parties , and it works just as well for reunions, too.

With the color scheme decided, you can get straight to picking out party decorations and tableware. Look for streamers , balloons, table decorations , and other party decor pieces that suit your event — and get some personalized class reunion banners made to welcome everyone to the gathering. If you’re feeling creative, make some DIY party decorations for the celebration.

6. Bring In Your High School Mascot

If using your high school colors isn’t enough, take it a step further and put your school mascot front and center at the event. It’s a fun callback to your high school years .

Invite the original school mascot to come along and give a performance, or use the image of your mascot to create banners, posters, and other party decor. Time to spread some school spirit!

7. Review Old High School Yearbooks

Remember when your yearbook photo used to be a big deal? Relive those moments and reflect on your high school years with old friends by looking through your old school yearbooks.

Ask everyone to bring along their favorite yearbook and have a collection of them ready for guests to look through. Review your old school photos , laugh at your terrible fashion choices, and celebrate how far you’ve come since those days. For some bonus fun, set up a photo booth and create your own class reunion yearbook!

8. Go Retro with a Throwback Dance Party

Design: Owl and Toad

Invitation Inspiration: Disco Dance Party Invitation

High school dances are the place where lots of memories are made. Relive those days of jumping on the dance floor with your friends and hearing your favorite songs with a throwback dance party.

This dance theme party idea is perfect for a class reunion . Create a playlist of your old school favorites, decorate the space inspired by the decade you were in high school, and invite everyone to make some moves on the dancefloor.

9. Play Reunion Games

It’s not a celebration without some party games , and luckily there are plenty of themed games to choose from when it comes to your class reunion . Plan some fun party games to play together and make the event come alive.

Some of the best class reunion party games are the simplest. Plan a trivia quiz about your high school days, a “guess who” bingo with photos from then and now , or a scavenger hunt with clues inspired by your former classmates .

10. Create a Photo Slideshow

It’s time to relive those memories from your graduating class ! Take a trip down memory lane and create a photo or video slideshow of your memories and experiences from the start of high school until now.

This is a chance to get everyone involved in the reunion by sending in their favorite photos. Ask people for their most-loved moments and funny stories, too, and include them as part of the slideshow presentation.

11. Host a Relaxed Brunch

Design: Lisa Travis

Invitation Inspiration: Champagne Brunch Invitation

While we love a dance party, we know they’re not for everyone — especially if you want to simply hang out and talk. As a calm but still fun alternative, try planning a reunion brunch instead of an evening get-together.

Swap the loud music and dancing for a relaxing playlist at your favorite brunch spot, and invite your high school classmates for a delicious morning of breakfast treats and mimosas to toast to everybody’s accomplishments.

12. Hand Out Fun Party Favors

When it’s time to say goodbye to your former classmates again for another year, don’t let them leave without some themed party favors . This is the perfect opportunity to hand out personalized party favors with your graduation year or reunion year on them.

Get some T-shirts printed with your graduation year and the date of your class reunion on them, or create a collection of mugs, glasses, or tote bags. Bake some cookies or cupcakes and decorate them to match your party theme, and hand them out alongside a thank you note to guests as they leave.

Plan a Memorable High School Reunion with These Party Ideas

A class reunion doesn’t happen every day, so take the time to plan something special for everyone to enjoy. Use these ideas and tips to help make your next reunion even better than your last one!

To get your guests excited to RSVP yes, use our class reunion invites to spread the word about the big party. Choose a design, customize it, send it to your guests via email or SMS, and watch those RSVPs come flying in.

How To Plan A Virtual College Class Reunion Event Alumni Will Love

• Post author By Adam Riggs
• Post date June 16, 2021

Thanks to the rise in virtual events, college reunions can reconnect countless more passionate alumni and faculty from across the globe. 

Understandably, it may sound tricky to adapt a college reunion for a virtual environment. We’re here to help. Whether you’re planning an all-virtual college reunion or a hybrid mix with in-person and online elements, here’s what to include in your event plans and ideas for making the most of hosting it through a virtual platform.

Use Alumni Surveys To Design Your Best Virtual Class Reunion

Lead your event design by addressing alumni needs and hopes for the event. Your reunion setup will, in part, depend on what anniversary you are celebrating. Generally, a 25th reunion marks a significant shift because attendees are ready to re-explore memories and discuss different topics than current work and life successes.

The most effective way to understand what your alumni want is to directly ask them through a mix of surveys, small group conversations, or 1:1 chats starting as far as seven months before your anticipated reunion date.

Some core questions to ask include:

• Are you interested in an in-person, hybrid, or all-virtual reunion? [rank your options]
• What do you hope to gain by attending the reunion?
• Do you have any specific requests for the event?
• Speeches and presentations from staff or faculty
• Lectures and presentations from alumni
• Casual open-room networking
• Coordinated group activities through video
• I would like to be on the reunion planning committee
• I would like to speak at the reunion
• I would like to help during the reunion 
• I would like to donate items or goods for use during the reunion

Use multiple-choice questions to understand your group’s general needs. Open response options will provide more thorough insight but take longer to review.

What Is the Best Virtual Reunion Platform?

With your survey responses analyzed, it’s time to find a platform that can meet these expectations.

There are a lot of virtual events platforms, but many are built with bare-minimum functions or restrictions that treat you like a child . These platforms will be difficult to tailor for your reunion, and your attendees may skip the event altogether if the interface is too confusing or lackluster. 

At a minimum, consider these five essential areas for your virtual reunion platform:

• Cost based on attendees and time limit: Ask how much the platform costs based on your anticipated attendee count and the necessary elements—breakout rooms, mainstage speaker, during-event announcements—you need for a complete experience.
• Networking capabilities: How can attendees connect with each other? What level of customization is available for attendee networking rooms?
• Support for live-streamed or pre-recorded video: What type of content does the platform support?
• Live support: Does the vendor provide technical support in case something goes wrong during your event?
• Security: There is always a risk that an alumnus may attend your event with an ulterior motive, or your reunion could be the target of Zoom bombing . Review any security features of each vendor and assess what level of risk your team is comfortable with. 

These are just the top-level questions to ask. We’ve created this 13-question checklist to help you find an ideal virtual college reunion platform. 

Virtual College Reunion Example Schedule and Activities

With a platform and date set, you can now create your event agenda . 

Start with the essentials. What are the major, must-have elements during your reunion? Generally, college reunions involve these activities:

• Speeches or panel discussions from college leadership, including the president, vice president, dean, or class leadership. 
• Remarks from current students. 
• Alumni-spotlight conversations. These can be a panel conversation, “fireside chat,” or 1:1 or small group presentations for alumni.
• Interest-based activities or group discussions. 
• Remembrance ceremony. 

With your core items in place, blend in these other fun reunion activities that work incredibly well for a virtual college reunion:

• Campus tour
• Small group breakout rooms
• Happy hour or wine and paint

It’s a New Age of College Reunions

This blog post provides just a glimpse at what you can accomplish during a virtual college reunion. Survey your alumni and create a schedule that is hyper-focused on their needs. You’re then more likely to host a successful event that rebuilds connections and helps your university continue to prosper.

You will likely find that your event technology is the biggest hurdle in your planning process. It’s critical to find an option that will allow you to build the experience you need, plus the benefits of security and an intuitive interface. The search is worth the effort, though. MIT’s successful virtual alumni reunion on Frameable Events, reignited MIT’s energy and excitement around virtual events .

We’ve built Frameable Events to help accelerate your event design and allow you to focus on what really matters—rekindling relationships that will last a lifetime. Contact us for a virtual reunion consultation.

• Tags alumni event , class reunion , virtual class reunion , virtual college reunion

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How to Plan a Class Reunion Checklist

September 29, 2021 by Chinny Verana Leave a Comment

Class reunions can either be nerve-wracking or something you can look forward to attending. Some may find meeting an ex-girlfriend/boyfriend awkward or seeing past friendships that turned sour uncomfortable. But overall, class reunions can be quite fun and beneficial for you.

Reunions are a great way to reconnect and mend old friendships. They are great avenues to be updated with your classmates’ lives and they create the perfect setting to just comfortably talk about life, career, and family. It is also a good opportunity to build connections and business networks.

Reunions can be enjoyable and memorable if planned right. And it doesn’t matter if you are not a professional event planner. You can organize and plan the reunion well enough with the help of your high school reunion planning checklist.

10 Essential Steps to Include in Your High School Reunion Planning Checklist

1. appoint committees and assign tasks.

Committees will make the event planning and execution so much easier. Identify major roles and responsibilities and assign them to volunteers according to their qualifications and areas of expertise. It is also important to consider the number of expected participants. The number of committees depends on how big the event will be.

Some of the committees you want to consider include:

• Reunion Chairpersons [leaders in charge of managing each committee]
• Finance Committee
• Program Committee
• Communication and Advertising Committee
• Welcome and Decoration Committee
• Food Committee
• Registration Committee

Once committees are established with the needed members, decide on dates for necessary meetings. Exchange contact information with the team and decide on possible venues for the meet-ups.

2. Set the budget

Create and propose an initial budget plan according to the expected number of participants and event costs. Collaborate with the finance committee. To raise funds, you can rally up sponsors aside from selling tickets. Start contacting prospect sponsors to lower down registration fees. And also set up features on your site to accommodate digital donations .

A lower registration fee will encourage more people to join. Some may be coming from other cities and will be paying for accommodation, food, and transportation among others. Cutting down registration costs will definitely be appreciated.

3. Research and brainstorm

This is a crucial item for your high school reunion planning checklist. Do initial research on the possible theme, date, venue, event activities, and event program. Brainstorm with the whole team. Ask for preferences and trends you can use in deciding the theme, program, and activities.

For example, you can have prom night as the theme to re-enact the past. You can encourage participants to wear the same outfits they wore on their prom night if they still have them. This will make the reunion more memorable.

4. Pick a date

Class reunions are held all year round. Some of the popular choices include early summer and Thanksgiving since they don’t clash with any school classes and work commitments. But the most important thing to consider is the availability of everyone.

Select a shortlist of possible dates. And after that, create a poll to identify the availability of the majority.

5. Choose the venue

In choosing the venue, take into account the number of attendees and the nature of activities. Some may choose their school grounds. This is a more practical choice especially if you don’t want to spend too much on the venue.

School grounds are not only cheaper options but they create a more intimate setting. What brings back nostalgia from school memories better than walking through your school campus.

6. Finalize the program

With the help of the program committee, create and finalize the program and the activities or performances that will be showcased. Start to send invitations to potential speakers and performers to get their availability.

Create activities that are engaging and fun. Think of creative ways to engage attendees . One activity that we did in our high school reunion was a “bring me” game. The mechanics of the game are very simple. As the name suggests, you will be bringing whatever item the emcee will be asking for. Some of the funniest asked items were our high school IDs or an embarrassing picture with classmates.

7. Decide on the staff you’ll hire

Though there are volunteers, some professional help will be needed during the event. Some of the services you might want to hire include catering services, music and lights, photography and videography, or a professional DJ.

Ask for recommendations from your team. They might have connections with one of the services above.

8. Set up your reunion website to sell tickets

Your high school reunion planning checklist will not be complete without adding the advertising step. Promoting your class reunion is easier when you set up a website. People are now more engaged in virtual platforms especially in this time of pandemic. You can advertise and promote your class reunion directly on your website. You can even utilize it to post announcements.

Make sure to contact the participants as early as possible and direct them to the reunion website. Having a website will also help answer the attendees’ inquiries and help you receive suggestions from them if they have one.

You can create a manageable and easy-to-navigate class reunion event using Event Smart. Make an event page where participants can stay updated.

How to set up a class reunion event with Event Smart

9. Develop registration procedures

Selling the tickets and setting up the registration are some of the final steps you need to include in the pre-event stage. Set up your ticketing and registration process. An easy and smooth registration process can make your upcoming reunion a success.

Use Event Smart to quickly create your class reunion registration website . With Event Smart, you can customize registration forms, and collect payments online through credit cards or PayPal. Registration becomes easier and faster for your reunion attendees with just a few clicks.

We recently helped a customer in setting up registration for their upcoming high school reunion with the following requirements:

“I’m setting up a reunion website for my high school with two paid events -Friday cocktails and Saturday dinner. Will Event Smart be able to present both choices so people can select Friday only, Saturday only, or both days? We’ll use simple PayPal to get payments.”

Through Event Smart, you are able to sell tickets from events with specific dates.  Once participants purchase the tickets, you’ll receive an email of confirmation to track sales.

10. Plan for a tribute presentation and tokens

Reunions are not complete without tribute presentations like videos showing highlights of your high school days. It can be a football win. Or recorded videos of random goofy moments.

You should also present tokens of appreciation to guest speakers. After the event, you can use your website to post some pictures of the class reunion. Create engagement. It’s nice to create a platform where the participants can continue to connect and engage with each other because for sure, this won’t be the last class reunion they will be attending. Encourage those who weren’t able to come to attend the next one.

Organizers and the planning committee should not be excluded from the fun. Planning and organizing a class reunion could be easier and more enjoyable when you follow a simple reunion planning checklist. Just follow these ten simple steps from the class reunion checklist and you’re good to go!

Are you ready to get started with your class reunion today? Start your free trial right now .

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How to Plan a Class Reunion

Jan 2024 - READ IN 10 MINUTES

Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on Map 19 2, 2023. It has been updated for accuracy and comprehensiveness.

9 Planning Tips for a Successful Class Reunion

Class reunions hold a special place in the hearts of alumni. They provide an opportunity to reconnect, reminisce, and strengthen the bonds formed during those memorable school years. They also serve as a powerful reminder of the valuable networks and support systems that can be built through a shared experience.

Class reunions not only evoke nostalgia but also play an important role in fostering alumni engagement. A reunion can be the catalyst that leads to future annual giving or even large gifts.

However, planning a successful class reunion is not without its challenges. Even the most experienced and enthusiastic event planner can feel overwhelmed by all the logistics involved in reunion planning. From selecting a venue to fundraising around the event to managing ticketing and registration, the laundry list of tasks can feel daunting.

A well-structured timeline and comprehensive checklist can help you stay organized and on top of the event from beginning to end. Whether you‘re a seasoned event organizer or a first-time reunion planner, this guide will equip you with the knowledge and tools necessary to ensure a successful class reunion.

1. Enlist Volunteers to Help 

Depending on your school, you may have an entire team dedicated to alumni relations and events. Or, you may be a team of one! Regardless of your circumstances, enlisting the help of volunteers will be key to planning a successful reunion. If you work for a college or university, volunteers may include current students who are involved with the Advancement office. If you are planning a high school reunion, volunteers will likely include alumni and possibly staff members. You may choose to set up a formal planning committee for the event and establish monthly or weekly meetings with its committee members.

Volunteers can be a great help in getting the word out about the class reunion. They can help manage communications with your invitees such as sending out email invitations and texting event reminders.

Staying organized in your communication with volunteers and alumni is essential to the success of your event. Online platforms like GC Volunteer Management can help you scale your programs and track volunteer activity.

Streamline Volunteer Management with the help of a single solution:

• Communicate with your volunteers with integrated email and texting. 
• Provide resources such as email templates and event pages
• Assign tasks and automatically track volunteer activity 
• Review program progress and outcomes in a simple-to-navigate dashboard

Having the right tools is key to keeping volunteers engaged throughout your reunion event planning and subsequent volunteer activities.

2. Choose a Date 

You’ll want to handle the key event details—like the when and where—first. This information guides much of your subsequent planning efforts. Sometimes reunions are planned around a specific anniversary of your graduation year—such as a 10-year or 50-year reunion.

While the year is often pre-determined, you need to decide on a convenient reunion date. Consider any possible conflicts such as holidays or busy times in the fundraising calendar. What time of year is best for class reunions? Popular times for reunions include early summer and late fall. After you’ve narrowed the date down to a few potential options, you may consider sending out a poll to alumni to gauge availability for each date. You’ll also want to consider if you’ll have activities on multiple days. Perhaps you’ll hold a special event—like a happy hour— for attendees who had to travel the Friday night before your main reunion event. Especially if they’re traveling far to be there, attendees will often appreciate additional opportunities to get together with their old classmates.

3. Find a Venue 

Once the date is selected, you need to find a venue. Reunions typically take place in the same city as the alma mater. Depending on if you’re planning a high school reunion or college reunion, you may choose to host the event on the school grounds or find a venue offsite—such as a hotel or restaurant. Think about the number of attendees and possible vendors when selecting a space. This is when you’ll start thinking about a budget.

You’ll also want to consider factors like whether the majority of your alumni will need to travel into town to attend the event. If so, it may make more sense to pick a venue close to a variety of hotels. You might even reserve a block of hotel rooms at a preferred hotel to aid in coordinating accommodations.

4. Establish a Reunion Budget

A well-planned budget not only helps you stay organized, but it also ensures that you can execute all the desired elements of your reunion without exceeding financial constraints. Here are some steps to help you establish a realistic reunion budget. 

Determine the Reunion Scope

Consider the scale of the event, the number of attendees expected, and the overall experience you wish to provide. A larger reunion at an upscale venue with elaborate activities will naturally require a higher budget. You’ll also want to think about any key elements that are non-negotiable—such as a live band or expensive reunion gifts.

Research and Estimate Costs

Conduct research around the various expenses associated with your reunion. These might include the venue, catering, entertainment, decorations, and swag. Will you have a sit-down dinner or just appetizers? Will there be an open-bar or cash bar? These decisions may seem small but can add up when it comes to reunion costs. At this point, you may begin reaching out to vendors to get quotes so you can more accurately estimate future costs.

Set a Ticket Price 

One of the ways to raise money for the reunion is through ticket sales. Determining a ticket price can help you estimate how much money you’ll have in your reunion budget. Setting a lower ticket price may encourage more people to attend, so you don’t want to solely rely on tickets to fund the reunion. 

5. Set up Ticketing and Event Registration 

Managing ticketing and event registration is a crucial aspect of planning a class reunion. Streamlining this process ensures a seamless experience for attendees and provides you with valuable data for planning and logistics. 

One of the most effective ways to manage ticketing and registration is to set up an online event page so you can begin promoting your event via email, snail mail, or social media platforms your alumni follow. The sooner you get this information sent out, the better. Knowing how many alumni rsvp’d yes can help you finalize other logistics—like the amount of food to order.

GC Events is a simple solution for managing event registration and ticketing for your events. It is simpler than building an entire reunion website and is integrated directly into the GiveCampus platform. You can easily customize your event registration page and include a public guest list that highlights the class year and affiliations of attendees and updates in real-time. GC Events also offers the flexibility to offer ticket types at different price points and allows registrants to purchase multiple ticket types in the same transaction. GC Events also offers check-in capabilities so you can manage day-of logistics all from the same platform.

GC Events also enables you to integrate donations directly into the event registration process. Encourage alumni to add a gift at checkout by linking your reunion event to a campaign or giving form. You can track gifts made from your event page while maintaining streamlined gift processing. Keep your accounting under control with custom event reports that separate donations, tickets sold, and fair market value of each ticket type.

Learn more about how to eliminate friction in the registration process with the help of a single platform.

6. Raise Money Around Your Reunion

Reunions are a perfect opportunity to raise money for your school’s annual fund or other dedicated campaigns. Alumni may feel more inclined to give back as they reminisce about their days on campus with old friends and the positive impact their alma mater had on their lives. The collective spirit among reunion attendees fosters a sense of camaraderie, making it an ideal time to prompt alumni to donate.

Check Out a GiveCampus Reunion Campaign Interactive Demo

The GiveCampus platform helps you generate more dollars and donors for your reunion giving campaigns. GC Social Fundraising enables the gamification of your fundraising efforts to boost visibility and engagement. Utilize tiered campaigns to inspire healthy competition among class years and campus community groups—such as sports teams and clubs. Think about what school initiatives, scholarships, or other fundraising priorities to highlight for specific alumni groups. 

GC Giving Forms allow alumni to donate seamlessly by reducing friction and providing the possibility to donate with a single click. You’ll have the capability to integrate your giving campaigns directly onto your events page so alumni can donate while their school is top of mind. 

The primary goal of the reunion is not to fundraise. However, a reunion provides a unique opportunity to combine nostalgia and philanthropy that shouldn’t be overlooked. 

7. Book Food and Other Vendors

Once you’ve closed registration for your event and collected information about the number of attendees, it’s time to book your other vendors. These will likely include catering, entertainment, and perhaps attendee favors. Depending on how many people and volunteers you have dedicated to planning the reunion, you may have entire reunion committees dedicated to booking various vendors like an “Entertainment Committee” or “Catering Committee.”

You may also choose to provide attendees with a reunion gift such as a t-shirt or mug. You’ll want to collect any relevant information for wearable gifts during the registration process so that you have ample time to order custom items before your reunion.

8. Communicate Final Details with Attendees 

When you’re a few weeks away, all of your event logistics should be in place. It’s time to touch base one more time with your attendees. Send out communications reminding them about the event date and time. Provide any helpful information such as parking or last-minute nearby hotel accommodations. You should also list all logistics and tips on your reunion event page so attendees can easily refer back to any details they may have missed. You can also send out a final pre-event push for your reunion fundraising campaigns to anyone who has yet to donate.

9. Follow Up After the Event

After the event is all said and done, you’ll likely feel a sigh of relief. But, before you bask in the glory of pulling off a successful class reunion, don’t forget to follow up with your event attendees. You can recap the event and provide links to any photo booth images or professional photography taken at the event. 

This is also a great opportunity to promote your annual fund and link to relevant giving campaigns . Your alumni may feel more inclined to donate while the happy memories of their alma mater and former classmates are fresh in their minds. You may also choose to send out a post-reunion survey to gather feedback from your attendees that can help guide future class reunions you and your team may plan.

Planning a class reunion can be a daunting undertaking. But, with a clear checklist, organized timeline, and the right tools you’ll be set up for success. Hopefully the steps above will guide your planning process and equip you with the knowledge you need to pull off a class reunion for the ages. 

GC Events , our popular new registration and ticketing platform, integrates seamlessly with the GiveCampus suite of fundraising solutions so you can make every reunion a fundraising opportunity too .  To learn more about how the full GiveCampus platform can support your next reunion, speak with a fundraising expert. 

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Top Ongoing Activities

• Slideshow Run a continuous slide show throughout the evening. You may be able to borrow a projector from the venue where you are having the reunion or from a committee member’s day job. Get a head start on this early by requesting photos in your first mailing, or through a special e-mail announcement. You can also use the slideshow from your class reunion website in combination with a projector.
• Contests Announce a contest for the best school-related story or memory, or hand out a high school-era trivia questionnaire. Solicit submissions throughout the night, and announce the winner during the program.
• Awards People have come to expect awards at reunions. Keep them funny and light, and in good taste. If you give out gift certificates as prizes, make sure they are for national stores and restaurants. You will need to collect this information from your classmates through the website or through other correspondence.

Top 7 Ideas for Awards at the Reunion

• Most recently married
• Married for the longest time
• Most children or grandchildren
• Newest parents or grandparents
• Most popular teacher
• Travelled furthest for the reunion
• Most educated
• Video Video elements can include a 'now' tour of the school and old hang-outs, interspersed with 'then' footage, interviews of former teachers, and clips submitted by classmates who could not attend the event. If someone on the committee is experienced at shooting and editing video, this can be assigned to them as a task. Done well, it can be the highlight of the evening.
• Brief Remarks The key word here is brief. Include a story or two from your school days. Take a moment to honor classmates who are no longer with us. Invite a teacher to say a few words. Announce the winners for any raffles, contests, and the wine cellar. Distribute the prizes and get on with the party!
• The host pulls out two names at a time. The contestants compete for the prize by identifying a jingle or song or commercial or movie from your high school years. This requires preparation before the reunion.
• A small gathering can play Two Truths and a Lie. Each person writes two truths and a lie about themselves on a paper, which then gets posted on their back. Everyone else tries to guess which one is the lie. Hand out cards with everyone's names and pencils, so people can track their guesses. The person who guesses the most lies correctly wins a prize. Revealing which statements are true / false is always a big hit.
• Each classmate writes a piece of personal information that is not common knowledge (ex. “I have a pet pig”), and the information is then gathered. Draw submissions, read them aloud, and let the class guess which submission belongs to which person. The person with the most correct guesses wins.
• Giveaways There are two kinds of giveaways associated with reunions: stuff that people win, and stuff that gets distributed to everybody (a 'loot bag' full of goodies in the registration kits.) It is a good idea to plan multi-purpose decorations. Some design centerpieces can also serve as prizes for contest winners. Awards can be records, movie posters, games that are already adorning the hall. If you have the extra time, it is always fun to arrange gag gifts for the awards: diaper pins for newest parents, a bottle of aspirin for parents of triplets, some golf balls for first to retire etc... When you are arranging the loot bags for the registration kits, donated goods need to meet a few criteria: If it is free, legal, and does not offend, include the item in the loot bag. When ordering or creating custom souvenirs, however, try to choose simple yet practical items, which will not show up in next week's trash. You should place an order for any customized items at least 3 months in advance.
• Wrap Up Thank everyone for attending. Upload pictures and videos on the website. Close the bank account and share information with future classes who want to plan a successful reunion.

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Start a free reunion website now, introduction, part i: where to start, chapter 1 : your first steps, chapter 2: the reunion planning committee, chapter 3 : the reunion timeline, chapter 4 : tracking classmates, part ii: money matters, chapter 5 : reunion budget, chapter 6 : reunion ticket sales, chapter 7 : reunion fundraising, part iii: getting the word out, chapter 8 : classmate search, chapter 9 : the reunion website, chapter 10 : correspondence, chapter 11: strategies for increasing reunion attendance, part iv: planning the class reunion, chapter 12 :where and when, chapter 13 : reunion ambience, chapter 14 : the reunion festivities.

• CHAPTER 15 : REUNION GIVEAWAYS
• CHAPTER 16 : REUNION MEMORY BOOKS

CHAPTER 17 : REUNION REGISTRATION AND ON-SITE LOGISTICS

Chapter 18 : loose ends.

Planning a reunion can be a challenging and daunting task, however armed with this book, we guarantee to help make your job a lot easier. We will address all of the elements that are critical to having a successful reunion from start to finish. You will benefit from the information in this book whether you are only considering having a reunion or if your planning is already well under way. In either case, you will find great tips and ideas to make your reunion a success.

The suggestions in this book apply to a reunion with as little as 50 classmates or more than 500, and they are valid if you are planning a 5-year reunion or a 50-year reunion. Most reunions occur around milestone anniversaries such as the 10-year, 20-year or 30-year mark, although odd-numbered years work as well.

In the following chapters, we provide you with critical information needed to keep you on track and on budget so that you can have the best reunion possible.

Some of the things we will cover in this book include:

• 5 best ways to find your old classmates
• 8 things to do at your old school to help plan the reunion
• 7 best ideas for increasing attendance at the reunion
• 5 best ideas for selling more tickets to the reunion
• 7 best ideas for reunion fundraising
• 6 best ideas for displays at the reunion
• 7 best ideas for awards at the reunion
• 5 best ideas for photos and videos at the reunion
• 5 best ways to keep people coming back to your website
• Tips for forming the reunion planning committee
• Tips for compiling the Memory Book
• Everything you need to know about the reunion program
• Everything you need to know about registration and logistics
• A timeline for everything related to the reunion
• Sample letters, broadcast emails, checklists, and budgets
• Tips, tricks and ideas to get the most out of your reunion website

High school reunion planning in the 21st century has been greatly facilitated thanks to the internet. The World Wide Web has made it much easier to search for classmates, vendors, favors, and do all kinds of research to help plan the event. The Web has also made communicating with classmates and collecting information so much easier than it was prior to the internet age. The best way to correspond with classmates is through a reunion website that acts as a communications center where you can disseminate important reunion details, collect information, sell tickets, create a buzz, and so much more. In the past, creating a website required someone with the technical knowledge and skills of an experienced computer programmer. Thanks to do it yourself reunion website builders like the one at MyEvent.com , the task of creating a reunion website has been made extremely easy. One of the chapters in this book will be devoted to getting the most out of your website, and throughout the book we will throw in tips on how your website can help with your reunion planning. Today, more people are online than ever before. With the increasing popularity of social networks such as Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter, there’s a whole new way of getting the word out. We will explore social media in Part III Getting the Word Out .

Return to Index

This section summarizes the step-by-step instructions on planning your reunion. To ensure you have sufficient lead-time, you should ideally start planning 12 months in advance of the event. If you only have six months or less, you can still pull it off but you may need to adjust your timeline accordingly. We will go into each of these steps in depth later in the book.

STEP 1: Recruit Committee Members

The first step in planning your reunion involves evaluating if there is enough interest in having a reunion. This requires that someone take the initiative to get the ball rolling (which is most likely you, if you are reading this book!). This may seem like an obvious step, but some people overlook it and jump right into the actual planning before having addressed this fundamental point.

To know if you have the prerequisites for a successful reunion, you should know if you will be able to form a committee. This is not absolutely necessary, but if you are planning a reunion entirely alone you will need a lot of free time. Make a few phone calls to former classmates to recruit potential committee members. We will examine the key elements in forming a committee and what the committee does later in this chapter.

If you can get a committee together and you are commemorating a milestone reunion, your chances are pretty good for generating a lot of interest in a reunion. There is a natural tendency for people to want to reacquaint with old friends and see what paths people took since having graduated from high school.

STEP 2: Create A Website

At this stage, you want to start to create some interest in the reunion. Build your website and start uploading content. The more content that you can put on the website the better.

Classmates who visit the website will see it as a sign that you are serious about the reunion and will help to spread the word.

Reunions are about nostalgia, so putting up a lot of pictures and stories from high school is highly recommended. Include a page that reflects back to the time when you graduated. It’s very easy to find pictures and information for the year that you graduated on sites like Wikipedia.com, Brittanica.com, and other encyclopediarelated websites.

You should post a message that tells visitors you are in the early stages of planning the reunion. Invite everyone who visits the website to register on the Classmates page and to tell their friends about the website. Encourage people to come back often as there will be many updates in the coming weeks and months.

STEP 3: Prepare Business Cards

If you are planning a reunion of a significant size, you may want to create business cards with the name of the school, the reunion year, and your school mascot on them. Also include the reunion website address, your name, telephone number, and email address. Business cards are very inexpensive and are convenient to leave with old classmates that you meet face to face. They are also good to leave with vendors and once again show a level of seriousness that usually results in a well - attended and successful event.

STEP 4: Take A Trip To Your Old School

Going back to your high school will achieve several objectives, some of which will be immediately useful and others that will help you later on. Make sure you do these things below:

• Inform the school about your intention to plan a reunion.
• Ask if anyone else has contacted the school with the same idea. If so, contact that person and try and join forces or decide which reunion will be planned. There is no room for competing reunions.
• Give the alumni director some of the business cards, in case former students contact the school.
• Obtain a complete class list with any contact information the school can provide.
• Ask the administrator of the school website to add a link to your website.
• Ask to borrow the school banner and mascot for the event.
• Ask if they still have any yearbooks from your graduating year.
• Come prepared with your digital camera and video camera to photograph the school grounds. You can use this later, on the website and at the reunion. 

STEP 5: Prepare A Preliminary Budget

Have this ready before your first committee meeting. (see Chapter 5.)

STEP 6: Assemble A Reunion Committee

In step 1, you put out feelers to see who may be available to help plan the reunion. Now you need to get more serious and get people to commit to the event. Pick a date for your first meeting. Your committee can be as small as one person (if you have unlimited free time) or it can consist of many people. It all comes down to the various tasks that you need to consider. The more people you have, the more the tasks will get spread out.

You are looking to create a diversified group of people who weren’t all part of the same crowd back in high school. This will help spread a wider net when trying to locate people, and when encouraging people to attend.

STEP 7: Reunion Administration

Open a bank account and organize your paperwork. Create a file (on your computer or in a notebook) to keep track of missing / located classmates, ideas for entertainment, venues, vendors, Memory Books, ads, donations, who has RSVP’d, paid, etc.

STEP 8: Getting The Word Out

This is a task that will be shared to a certain extent by all committee members and each classmate that is planning on coming to the reunion. (Detailed in Part III ).

STEP 9: Planning The Event

You will want to assign particular tasks to committee members that have experience in that area. There is a lot of planning needed for the event since it includes the actual reunion and everything that happens that night (detailed in Part IV ).

The Planning Committee can include as little as one person (not highly recommended) or several people, and it can include sub-committees as well. It is easier to manage smaller committees, but larger ones benefit from having more people to get things done. Remember that you can always enlist volunteers outside of the committee for non-decision-making tasks. It really does come down to assigning the various tasks to as few or as many people as there are on the committee. Whatever you decide, strong leadership from the chairman of the committee will be crucial for keeping everything and everyone on track.

To establish an effective committee, choose your members carefully. Anyone in the entertainment, hospitality or food service industries would be a great asset in planning the event. It is also wise to include business owners, as you may be able to approach their companies to pick up the tab for long-distance bills, postage, office expenses, prizes and more. We stress again the importance of including alumni from various social groups. The more diverse your committee (from cheerleaders to the chess club), the better the turnout. This is particularly relevant when it comes to getting the word out, something that all members of the committee must partake in.

How many committee meetings you have will depend on several factors, such as how much time you have left before the reunion, how big your committee is, and the size of the reunion you are planning. Committee members can have conference calls and update each other via email. However, meetings are critical to the success of the reunion. People will definitely be more proactive in fulfilling their responsibilities when a meeting deadline is coming up as opposed to a task simply written on a list. You cannot afford to have committee members procrastinate! Regular meetings are a good way to avoid this pitfall. We recommend meeting approximately every 8 weeks. You should look at the committee meetings as minireunions. It’s a good opportunity to reconnect with old friends and have a good time prior to the reunion.

Committee meetings are only useful if they have a specific purpose, so be very organized and come prepared with an agenda that has been distributed to the committee members beforehand. Everyone 11 should know what their responsibilities are ahead of time so that they can also come to the meeting prepared.

Although some committees attempt to plan everything as one unit, it can be far more effective to break this unit up into smaller groups, or teams. When dividing the workload, try to match people with tasks to which they are best-suited. Someone who works in advertising or public relations, for example, is well-suited to getting the word out. Business people may do well in negotiations with vendors. You may want to draw a diagram to help you sort out the chain of command, as well as the responsibilities of each team, and its members. Make sure people know which decisions can be made on their own and which decisions need the entire committee’s consultation.

You will always get better results when you assign tasks with specific goals and deadlines. A strong assignment would be: "Graham will check out potential venues and report back to the committee by January 15, detailing the top three choices, including pricing, and the pros and cons of each option.” This will be much more effective than “Graham will take on searching for a venue.”

Each task needs to have an “owner”. Assign a committee member (or in the case of team assignment, select a team leader) to each of the tasks. For each task, you will have a task description, the name of the committee member assigned to the task, committee expectations regarding the task, and a due date by which the task must be completed. This is a key factor in how successful the planning committee is in effectively managing their time.

We recommend the following breakdown of responsabilities:

If you have other responsibilities on your list and you are unsure which team should take them on, a good rule of thumb is: If the task involves spending money or the task is related to something that can be seen at the event, send it to the Event Team ( Planning the Event ). Conversely, if the task results in ticket sales or communicating with alumni, assign it to the Promotion Team ( Getting the Word Out ).

It is important to note that although one team is responsible for finding classmates, all committee members should be involved in the search. This is the most challenging and time-consuming undertaking you will face. After an initial search, the Promotion Team can assign the names of those still not found to the committee members deemed most likely to locate the individual.

At the final meeting before the event, everyone becomes one team unit again. As you map out the day of the event, assign individuals to each of the various tasks that require preparation (eg. preparing registration lists, prepping name tags, decorating, setting up displays, assembling registration kits, etc.).

The time periods mentioned here are based on an ideal scenario. You may need to adapt your timeline so that it reflects how much time you have left to plan your reunion.

Quick Reference Guide

12-18 months in advance:

• Put out feelers for committee
• Start a website
• Visit school: inform them of reunion; obtain class list, yearbooks
• Prepare preliminary budget
• First committee meeting
• Open bank account
• Send out ‘Save The Date’ cards (emails)
• If the date is not fixed, set up an online poll with three options
• Collect online Classmate Profiles and pictures (ongoing until event)
• Missing classmate search (ongoing until event)
• Post Missing Classmates page on website (and update as you go)

8-12 months in advance:

• Finalize date of event (if possible)
• Book caterer, if not provided by venue
• Determine if there are informal events surrounding the reunion
• Revise budget
• Finalize ticket pricing
• Send broadcast e-mails hyping the reunion (ongoing until event)
• Invite the non-paying guests (teachers, coaches, etc.)
• Start early-bird ticket sales and incentive programs
• Sell or barter ad space on your website
• Book entertainment
• Set up memorials page on website
• If you are hiring a photographer or videographer, get quotes
• Plan the festivities (awards, games, speakers)
• Canvass classmates & businesses for giveaways
• Plan Memory Book (and solicit ads if you will include them)

4 -8 Months in advance:

• Telephone classmates who you found but have not yet responded
• Plan décor, centerpieces, displays, registration kits
• Sketch a detailed diagram of the room and set-up
• Order any printed decorations (banner, custom balloons, etc)
• Order mementos (keychains, pens, etc.)
• Collect content for the displays (ongoing until event)
• Enlarge any photos that will be displayed (class photo, teachers, etc.)
• Arrange for any on-site sale items (t-shirts, etc.)
• Turn up the heat for ticket sales
• Send out invitations by email or by post 

1-3 Months in advance:

• Assemble slide show
• Assemble video
• Arrange supplies for name tags
• Get volunteers to work the registration desk (if possible)
• If you plan to have paper tickets, (not recommended) send them
• Broadcast email reminders
• Cut-off for final ticket sales (if your venue needs notice for extras)
• if you plan to have a program booklet, assemble it now 

The Final Weeks:

• Prepare guest lists for registration table
• Give final meal count to caterer
• Prepare name tags
• Compile registration kits
• Prepare all office supplies and signs needed for registration desk
• Arrange for a float for the cash box
• Memory books should be delivered
• Confirm with all vendors, suppliers, donors, etc.
• Prepare detailed schedule of the big day

Reunion Day:

• Decorate room, tables, displays
• Set up registration area
• Ensure required audiovisual equipment is set-up
• Review check-in procedure with registration workers
• Pick up or ensure delivery of registration kits, giveaways, mementos.

Post Reunion:

• Upload reunion photos to website
• Send thank-you notes to all donors / sponsors / committee members
• If you plan on future reunions, send a follow up letter to all alumni
• Share your knowledge with other classes from your school
• Close bank account

Best Practices For Registrations

Many people want to know the best way to handle registrations, sell tickets, and manage RSVPs for their class reunion.

If you are using a reunion website, you do not have to use the RSVP page, but it can give you more information for planning purposes. When you first set up the website, the inclination for your classmates is to not buy tickets right away (though they should be encouraged to do so with a link to the Buy Tickets page). They are likely to want to wait and see who else says they will go and procrastinate paying for their ticket.

The concept behind the RSVP page is to that it gives you an idea of how many people plan to attend the reunion. Knowing how many people to expect can help in planning the various events of a reunion. As time goes by, you will end up with four lists of people.

List1 People who have not been contacted and who have not registered on the website. These people should go on the Missing Page (or in the "Missing" section of a page), and your classmates should be encouraged to direct these people to come to the website to Buy a ticket or RSVP.

List2 People who have registered on the website either on the Classmates page or via the Guest Book but have not RSVP'd or bought a ticket. You can follow up with these people to see what their intention is and encourage them to buy a ticket or at least RSVP one way or the other.

List3 These people have RSVP'd and said they will come to the reunion but they have not bought a ticket yet. You should follow up with these people and encourage them to buy a ticket.

List4 These people have bought tickets and can go on your Who's Coming page. You may want to wait to activate this page until after you have a certain number of tickets sold. In order to stay organized, you need to create a tracking system that is always current. It is important that you generate lists of the four key groups mentioned above.

The Promotion Team’s goal is to keep classmates moving from List 1 towards List 4.

Once you have identified who is in which group, it is easy to target those in group 3, for example, by sending them a broadcast email reminder: “ We noticed that you intend to come but have not yet purchased your tickets. Take advantage of our early bird offer and save $30 off the ticket price by purchasing your tickets today! ”

When planning a reunion, people often wonder who will pay the deposits needed to hold the venue, caterer, and other services that require early payments for reservations. This section addresses how to deal with these issues, how to raise money and how to balance the budget.

Before we dive in, we stress the importance of standard accounting practices: 

• Open a reunion bank account with joint authorization for two committee members (we recommend the Chair and the Treasurer). The account should only require one signature for any given transaction, including writing checks.
• Make copies of all checks received before depositing them, and all checks written before sending them.
• Detail all incoming and outgoing money in a central ledger or computer document.
• Most reunions are not designed to make a profit. If you have a small surplus of funds at the end, this can be used for a donation, or to pay for the website after the reunion.

In the early stages of planning, create a preliminary budget in order to determine the scale of your event. You can do this even before you start searching for classmates.  As the months pass, you will be able to update the information as decisions are made. If possible, get a copy of the previous event’s budget as well as actual revenue and expenses.

Step 1: estimate the number of paying guests On average, 40% of classmates will attend the reunion and 50% of those will bring a guest. Therefore if you had a class of 300 people, your paid attendance will be 300 X .40 X 1.5 = 180 paying guests. Remember that this is just an average and that there are many things that can affect the turnout. The number can vary greatly depending on the milestone you are celebrating, how well you promoted the reunion, the personality of your class and many other factors. However, you need to start somewhere, so using an average figure as stated above allows you to begin budgeting. You can eventually use actual numbers based upon real answers from classmates as they RSVP and purchase tickets. Step 2: Set a temporary ticket price This ticket price should not be advertised until you’ve established a final ticket price.The average reunion ticket price is $75 per person, which is usually enough to create a special event, yet still be affordable. Some committees offer package deals for couples (ex. 2 tickets for $130). In one aspect, this is fair, as only classmates (and not dates) will get a full registration kit or memory book, but on the other hand, the savings of $20 is unlikely to bring in extra guests, so we advise against it. Step 3: Do the math 40% of your class X 1.5 for guests, multiplied by the ticket price $75 (as an example) provides your main source of revenue. If we estimate out of a class of 300, 180 paying guests at $75 per person, the overall budget will be $13,500. Plan accordingly. Should you be able to revise ticket sales higher later on, you can then spend more on prizes or other things. Ticket sales will not be your only source of revenue. All additional income, however, will cover the ‘we forgot to budget for that’ expenses. Trust us, you’ll need it! Step 4: Itemize and estimate expenses If you don’t know how much live music costs, call a few bands and take an average as your estimate.  This works with every category. Be practical in your planning. If your entire budget is $6000, you would be wise to opt for a DJ or prepared CDs rather than a live band. This is true for every expense. There is usually an expensive way or a frugal way to do just about anything. You need to decide what is most important to your class and spend the money on the deluxe things that will mean the most to your particular class. Step 5: Finalize your ticket price This is a committee decision. If you feel that $75 tickets won't bring in enough revenue, see what happens if you raise the ticket price. Conversely, if you think that a $75 price is too high, you will need to cut out certain things from the budget. Step 6: Committee members buy the first tickets At the first or second meeting, members of the reunion committee should buy tickets for themselves and their dates. These funds can be used towards deposit for venue, and up-front costs (such as postage, copies, website). If you haven’t finalized the ticket price, pay the temporary price and even up later on. If these funds are not sufficient, the committee members may consider loaning the reunion a certain amount, to be paid back once tickets start selling. Example of a Preliminary Budget

If you don’t book a hotel or restaurant, remember to budget for caterer, tables, linens, tableware, dance floor, waiters, bartenders, chairs, audiovisual equipment, easels, and liability insurance. You can see why most committees opt for hotels!

The preliminary budget example on the previous page shows expenses and expected revenue on budget, which is where you want to be. If your expenses appear to be higher than your revenue you will need to remove (or reduce) some expenses, raise the ticket price or generate more funds through fundraisers, donations, and ads.

The budget is fluid and you can adjust as you go along based upon how much money you raise. You should definitely do your best to raise as much money as possible through ads, donations, and fundraisers because it will either help you prevent a shortfall or allow you to go all out for the reunion. You could use the funds raised from other sources to spend more on prizes, add valet parking, make a donation to your school, or keep the website going.

Ideas to Increase Ticket Sales

To create some cash flow, committee members buy the first tickets. If tickets are $75 and there are 6 committee members, and they all bring dates, you have generated $900 in start-up funds. This is easily done, as everyone planning the event understands the need for immediate cash flow.

Many classmates who intend to come, will wait until the last minute before buying their tickets. Whether this is due to procrastination or wanting to see who will come before committing, you should be prepared for it. You may want to step up the pressure in the weeks leading up to the reunion, especially to those that indicated an interest but have not yet bought their tickets. There have been many reunion committees that were fearful of having a shortfall, only to find that in the last 2 weeks they sold 50% of their tickets. This stresses the need for the committee to buy tickets early because you may need some cash to get things going.

Here are some tips on how to encourage buying tickets sooner rather than later. Remind people that purchasing tickets is easier than ever. Taking a minute to go online and pay by credit card is much simpler than writing a check and sending it in by snail mail. Online payment is the fastest way for the funds to get in your account, so consider it your #1 choice of payment. MyEvent.com allows you to make direct deposits right into your reunion bank account. In addition to making it easier for your classmates, you will save yourself a trip to the bank by selling tickets on your website. As already mentioned, since so many people elect to buy tickets late, you will want to keep this easy option available as late as possible.

You may want to set up a three-tier price system based on deadlines. For example, if your event is on June 20, 2010, offer an early-bird rate of $60 if tickets are purchased before December 31, 2009. A second, ‘regular’ rate of $75 can be offered until May 1st. Anyone who purchases tickets following the May 1st deadline will be charged $85.

Organize an early-bird draw. The first 50 people to buy their tickets will be eligible to win a prize. The prize can be donated, or it can be as simple as a free ticket to the reunion.

Remind people that there is a final cut-off date to purchase tickets. Depending on whether or not your venue can accommodate last minute guests, you may offer a higher rate for classmates who want to buy tickets at the door. If you do decide to offer ticket sales at the door, (be sure to work this out in advance with the caterer), publicize that you cannot guarantee last-minute registration kits. If people come to the event following the meal, you may reduce their cost of the ticket by the cost of the meal.   Some committees ask classmates for non-refundable deposits towards their reunion ticket, one year before the reunion takes place. This is a good way to ensure you have enough cash on hand for up-front expenses.

The downside of saying that deposits or tickets are non-refundable is that it encourages people to wait before buying their tickets. Some classmates may be concerned that the reunion will not happen and they will lose their money. You really don’t want to give people any excuses to procrastinate, so we strongly recommend a full refund policy since it encourages early ticket sales.

At your first committee meeting, decide if you will be inviting any non-paying guests. Do you want to include the beloved math teacher, the basketball coach, the principal? It is common courtesy to offer each person two tickets at no cost.

The more revenue you collect, the more there is to spend. Just because you based your budget solely on estimated ticket sales, does not mean you should not try and raise money through other means. The funds you generate through other avenues can either offset a shortfall or be used to add more value to the reunion.

7 Sure-Fire Ways to get hold of some Extra Cash!  

1. Sell ad space (website, program, memory book) This is easy and requires little effort. Send a broadcast email to your classmates, and try and sell advertising to your vendors as well. After you have negotiated your best price with a vendor, try to get an extra 5-10% discount in return for a position on the website and in printed materials. You can offer different level sponsorships for different amounts. This can either be done by size of ad or by level (gold, silver, bronze). You can also approach businesses that have a vested interest in the community. Ad space on the website, in the Memory Book, in the program, and atthe- event signage can all be components of various advertising packages, according to the amount of the donation.

2. Put effort into three areas: donations, donations, donations There are two types of donations; cash and anything else that you can use or give away as a prize. A good place to start is the school. The school is certain to be a donor. They will usually agree to lend you the school banner and memorabilia for the displays. If you truly have no funds to work with, consider asking the school for the use of the gym or auditorium.

You can ask classmates for general cash donations towards the reunion, and the best way to do this is on the website. You may even get people contributing to the reunion fund who do not plan to attend the event.

There is a Donations page built right into your MyEvent.com website which is a great way for you to accept donations by credit card without a merchant account. All you have to do is click on Accept Donations in your Control Panel to get started.

You may find that there are some classmates that have done exceptionally well who want to give money back to the place where they started to become the successful person they are today. It is also a great way for people who cannot attend the reunion to give something back.

You can either raise money strictly for the event itself or for a special cause. Maybe there is a classmate who is in a particularly bad situation who needs help for a medical problem, or maybe you just want to raise money for the high school to be able to purchase new equipment. We recommend that the donation fund can be used for a combination of things, such as new equipment and enhancing the event.

Donations can take many forms. There are all different kinds of supplies and prizes that you need to have a successful reunion. Classmates will not donate if they do not know what is needed, so it is important to list what you are looking for on a page on your website and keep it updated.

Donations can include everything from postage to balloons to prizes and items to be given away at a silent auction. Inform classmates about the list. Keep it clever and continue to throw in some improbable and funny requests, (such as a mechanical bull). This will get classmates visiting the page regularly, out of curiosity. Once each item is secured, indicate so on the website and include the name of the donor. You can also have a blanket request for ‘Anything that might be neat to include as a giveaway in the registration kits.’ This is a fantastic way for alumni business-owners to contribute their product or promotional items. It also opens the door for a hodgepodge of truly surprising treats for attendees - registration kits have been known to include everything from lingerie to calculators to ball-caps.

3. Negotiate with Vendors! Depending on when you are having your event there may be room for negotiation (if it is not at a busy time of year for the vendor). It is always a good idea to get more than one quote for each service and then try and play each one off the other to see who will give you the best deal. As already mentioned, once you have what 28 you think is your best deal, try and get an added discount in exchange for advertising.

Fundraising opportunities abound at the reunion itself. When selecting from the list below, keep in mind the work involved in relation to the payout.

4. Hold an online auction This requires some effort soliciting donations as well as setting up displays of the auction items at the event. If you received donations in the form of goods and services, this could be a good place for those items. Local restaurants are often willing to give gift certificates for this purpose because it can draw in new clients as well as getting some exposure at the event.

You will need a sheet of paper that describes each item with space for people to write their name & bid amount. It is a good idea to have a list that describes all the items, and to give them out at registration. To simplify the work involved, auction off memorabilia that is already at the event. People can even bid on the enlarged photo of your school class. If committee members have old sports memorabilia that they no longer feel attached to they can include those items in the auction as well.

5. Set up a raffle Although this also requires soliciting donations, it is less work than an auction. Set up a small table at the event (preferably at registration as well) where people can buy tickets. Have a sign ready detailing the prizes and the ticket price. You can also send a volunteer or committee member to sell tickets throughout the night.

6. Hold a 50/50 draw This requires almost no effort, and can be arranged at the last minute, as long as you have a roll of tickets on hand. The idea is similar to a raffle, but the one prize is 50% of the money generated by selling tickets. So if you sell 100 tickets at $5 each, the winner of the draw will get $250 (half of $5 x 100), and $250 will be raised for the reunion. The 50/50 is a guaranteed hit, and there is almost no prep involved.

7. Sell drink tickets If you need to cut costs, forget the open bar. Instead, each guest can receive two complimentary drink tickets. If they would like more, they can buy additional drink tickets for a minimal amount ($2 or $3). These can be used for beer, wine or mixed drinks. This not only brings in additional funds, it also makes people more aware of their alcohol consumption.

All of these fundraising opportunities seem to do better as the night progresses. As the liquor flows people are known to become more generous, so do not wrap up any of these efforts too early if you are serious about raising money. This may be particularly important if these efforts are required to balance the budget. In that case you may want to do more than one of the above.

Make sure there are many options for people not to drink and drive. This can involve the availability of taxis, designated drivers, or a hotel nearby to stay overnight.

An important task for all committee members is promoting the event. If anyone on the committee works in advertising, public relations or promotions, have them lead this effort. Finding classmates is your first priority. Once you have started locating people, the focus changes to gathering bio information and selling tickets. 

As mentioned in Chapter 1, the classmate search starts with a trip to your old school. Try to obtain a complete list of your graduating class. This will ideally include their telephone number and address at the time of graduation. Hopefully, this will also include names of parents. Some schools may keep current contact information for any alumni who have inquired about upcoming reunions.

If the school does not have a class list, use your high school yearbook as a reference. Nowadays, many high schools have their own website since having an online presence has become so prevalent. You can ask your school to put a link to your reunion website on the high school website, and to mention the upcoming reunion in any newsletters.

Once you have a master list of names, you can create a page on your website that lists them. We recommend having another section of that page for those classmates that have been found. This can be done using a different section, using different colors, or even placing the list of found classmates on another page altogether. Make sure to keep a record of both married and maiden names. A word of caution - if someone is reported as deceased, make sure to verify the information before listing them as such.

Finding your classmates is one of the most important parts of planning the reunion because without your class there is no reunion! We recommend that everyone on the committee share the responsibility of searching for former classmates and spreading the word about the reunion. Now that social networking sites like Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter have become so prevalent, getting the word out has truly never been easier.

The 7 Best  Ways To find your classmates

1. Word of mouth Each member of the committee should telephone or email classmates they still know from school, and inform them about the reunion. Classmates should be encouraged to visit the reunion website to submit their profile, and help spread the word to those with whom they are still in touch.

MyEvent.com has social media tools integrated into each page of its reunion websites so visitors to the site can inform their networks about the event with a click of their mouse. Given the viral nature of social networks, it only takes an instant for that message to get passed on to someone else’s social network, who in turn will forward it to their network, and so on. Before you know it, word of mouth has reached an exponential number of people some of whom will surely be your former classmates!

2. Missing Classmates Page The website is a great way to get all of your classmates involved in the search. Remember to update it regularly as more of your classmates are found. You can issue a Classmate Challenge and award points to classmates for each person they find. The winner of the challenge can be acknowledged at the reunion with a special award or a free ticket to the reunion.

3. The telephone book Most adults live in the town where they grew up, so this is worth a try. When you get a wrong number, inquire if you are speaking to a relative of the classmate as this can end up being your next lead. You can also try online versions of the phonebook. Whitepages.com (US and Canada) or Canada411.ca (Canada only) are good resources.

4. Search the Internet You can search on peoples’ names using search engines like Google and sometimes come up with the information you are looking for. Social networks like Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and MySpace are also great resources to try to find lost classmates. Remember to search on a classmate’s married name as well as their maiden name since they may have set up their social network profile using either one.

5. Run an ad This does cost money, but most parents and family still live in the area, so many classmates are sure to hear about the reunion. Include the reunion website address so they know where to go for more information. Some newspapers (especially community-related newspapers) may have a section that allows for these kinds of announcements for free.

6. List the event This can be done through community affairs announcements on local radio and television stations, through bulletins at the town recreational center, the church, the fire station, etc. You should also call local radio stations during prime time (morning and afternoon drives) and ask them to plug the reunion. Creating a Facebook group page for the event can help to spread the word in online communities. A link to the reunion website should be included on the Facebook group page.

7. Post flyers You can do this at local stores and restaurants. Although this is free, it is timeconsuming. Make sure to include the reunion website address on the flyers so people know where to go to get more information.

Mix up your media! If you have a scanner, you can scan your flyer and upload it to your reunion website and Facebook group page. The more exposure the better. Let the power of social networking do its magic and spread the news for you. Try to maximize this by always encouraging visitors to share with their own social networks by clicking on the share icons located on each page of your reunion website.

We mention the reunion website throughout this book because it applies to many aspects of your reunion planning. This chapter will deal exclusively with suggestions on how to get the most out of your class reunion website.

Assign a committee member to be the site administrator. This need not be a techsavvy person! Anyone can create an interesting and useful website with a reunion website builder. A reunion website serves many purposes. 

5 BEST REASONS FOR HAVING A REUNION WEBSITE

• It is a great way to create interest in the reunion and increase attendance.
• It is a simple, convenient and secure way to sell tickets to the reunion.
• It allows you to get feedback from classmates about the reunion.
• It is the best place for classmates to get reunion updates.
• It serves as a meeting place for alumni.

If you have not already done so, you should take some time to explore all of the buttons and links on the main page of the class reunion website at myevent.com/class-reunions . Click on FEATURES to see all the things you can do with your reunion website, and click on TESTIMONIALS to see why MyEvent is the best choice for your class reunion website.

Here are a few pages we recommend that people use on their reunion website:

Classmates / Registration Page

This is where people can enter their contact information, 2 pictures (then and now) and tell everyone what they’ve been up to. On your home page, you should remind people to submit a profile on the page commonly called “classmates” (or “registration”).

Missing Classmates Page

Classmates visiting the site can get involved by helping to find the missing! On the home page of the website encourage visitors to see if they know anyone on the missing page and tell them about the reunion. Remember Word of Mouth is your best way to promote the reunion. You can use one of the “Extra Pages” (in your control panel) for this or use the home page. Simply type in the names of the missing people and update it regularly.

Memorials Page Pay tribute to those classmates no longer with us with the “memorial page” (in your control panel). This page has special tools that allow you to enter an obituary, upload an image and allow others to pay tribute on the website.

Sponsorship Page An excellent way to raise money for the event. Offer ad space on this page to classmates or vendors who give cash or prizes to benefit the reunion. Use an Extra Page (in your control panel) for this and create a “package” in your dashboard for the ad.

Purchase Tickets Page Offering classmates the ability to purchase tickets online with a credit card is a great way to increase attendance at the reunion and reduce your workload.

Photo Albums A picture says 1000 words. Providing your classmates with images from high school will go a long way to illicit feelings of nostalgia that are a key ingredient to helping classmates decide whether to attend the reunion. Great before and after the reunion and for those who could not come to the event. These are the pages we recommend you use on the MyEvent.com Reunion Website Builder.

Flashback Page One thing your classmates will surely enjoy is a trip down memory lane. This includes a list of all the things that were current the year you graduated. You can find information about events of a particular year simply by doing a search on that year. It’s fun for everyone to see the pictures and content related to music, tv, movies, sports, and politics. Use an “Extra Page” (in your control panel) for this.

Questionnaire This page (called "custom form" in your control panel) can be customized with all sorts of questions, that allow for answers in all formats (true/false, multiple choice, paragraphs…). It’s a great way to collect information for the memory book if you are planning on having one or to use in some games you will play at the reunion. The custom form is also a great survey tool if you want to get opinions about when to have the reunion or what theme everyone would like.

RSVP Page When you first start planning the reunion, many classmates will be reluctant to buy tickets. The RSVP page is a good way to at least gage if people intend to come to the reunion. This can give you important planning information and give you a list to follow up with as the reunion approaches. Use “free” tickets to create an RSVP page if you are planning very far ahead.

Travellers Page A very important page that conveys many important details about hotel accommodations, recommended restaurants, things to do and links about the city where the reunion is taking place.

Happy Birthday Who can resist their own public birthday announcement? This can be done on a section of the home page or on an "Extra Page".

What’s New Here classmates can post life events: engagements, marriages, new babies, grandchildren, honors, awards, etc. This can be done on a section of the home page or on an "Extra Page".

Reunion Tips Include humorous lists on how to behave at the reunion, what not to do, how to mentally prepare. Keep them light and funny. This can be done on a section of the home page or on an "Extra Page".

Top 5 Ideas to Keep Alumni Returning to the Website

• Post Guess Who photos This can be a classmate, teacher, administrator, picture of a building or classroom. It is fun to use current pictures of classmates or teachers for this.
• Create a Who’s Coming page so that others can check and see who is planning to attend. We advise that you wait until there is a critical mass of tickets sold (60, for example), before you post this information. The reason for this is that people are less likely to buy tickets if they know that only 12 tickets have been sold so far.
• Post old pictures of classmates and teachers on each page. Change them periodically.
• Include a last updated date on the home page so people will know when new information has been added.
• Include video clips . This can be of reunion committee meetings, clips from the old school, random clips from classmates. It is very easy to add a digital video clip to sites like youtube.com

With the increasing popularity of email, contacting classmates has never been easier or cheaper. Although some committees still rely on the regular postal service for some mailings, many have abandoned sending regular mail because of the cost and time it incurs. If you are using the website and getting people to register with their contact information (including email address), you will build a list that you can use to communicate for the months ahead. Some website builders like the one at MyEvent.com, have a built-in broadcast email function which facilitates this process (in the Dashboard, click on Promote and then Emails).

How you correspond with classmates will depend on how successful you have been at collecting information. If you managed to get a list of addresses and it is very early in the planning stage, it’s not a bad idea to send a Save the Date card (once you have selected the date of course) by regular mail. It may be the only regular mail that you send but it may be a good way to drive traffic to the website and get people to register so that you have their contact information later on.

Anything sent by snail mail should include the logo or school mascot on the envelope, or you run the risk of it being written off as junk mail. The first mailing helps find classmates, and puts a physical reminder of the upcoming event in their hands. If parents receive the notice, they will usually pass on the information. You will also get plenty of returned mail due to out-of-date addresses. Keep the returns and update your master list accordingly. This will help you create your Missing Classmates list.

Save the Date cards are usually sent by post, as you may not have peoples’ email addresses at this point. If you come from a small tight-knit class and most of you still keep in touch, you can simply send the Save the Date notice by email. Even if nothing has been planned yet, Save the Date cards let people know the following vital pieces of information:

• A reunion for your graduating class is in the works
• The date of the reunion (or 3 date options, and explain they can vote online)
• Classmates can register for the event on the website, where they can find further details

Announcement letters have the advantage of including more information than Save the Date cards, but the disadvantage of overwhelming the reader with too much information. If you choose this option, consider including:

• A nostalgic letter encouraging everyone to come to the event.
• A request to fill in bio info on the website.
• A list of missing classmates and a plea to help locate them.
• A list of needed items, with a plea for donations.

An invitation should be sent (either by post or email) once you have finalized the following details: place, date, time, dress code, cost, cut-off dates for purchasing tickets, and any details regarding additional activities on the same weekend. Once the invitations are sent, the big focus becomes selling tickets, as well as finding the missing classmates (as always). Below are a few sample emails that you might consider sending. 

Use humour The broadcast email below is good in a "save the date" email or anytime during the planning process...Using humour and piquing your classmates curiosity may push some people who are on the fence to come to the reunion!

The success of a reunion depends on the turnout!

7 Best Strategies To Increase Attendance At Your Event

1. Be Persistent Many reluctant people warm up to the idea with time, particularly if they know certain people have bought tickets. Encourage everyone to get people to come to the website to register and have everyone pass the word along to as many friends as possible.

2. Promote the Event Announce the reunion at the high school basketball games or in the town parade. Take out an ad in the newspaper and do your best to get free publicity through local media. Many of your old classmates may have Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn accounts. Leverage the power of social media by letting them promote the reunion for you! Activate the social media share links in your Control Panel so that the sharing icons appear on each page of your reunion website. Encourage visitors to your site to send word about the reunion to their personal networks. 

4. Update the website Make updates to the website regularly to keep classmates coming back. Get creative. Post daily quotes, pictures, and polls. Create a weekly trivia challenge and award token prizes. Ask classmates to reveal their favorite memories of school, and post a different contribution every week.

5. Call each classmate Split the class list up among committee members. Nothing replaces a live person telling you they would like to see you at the reunion! This is time-consuming but highly effective. On the phone, you can immediately dispel any fears classmates may have about attending. If they don't know anyone who has RSVP'd, you can encourage them to reach out and try to promote the event to their old crowd.

6. Invite well-liked teachers and coaches Many classmates have fond memories of special teachers who may have had an impact on their life and/or career. Knowing that they will be at the reunion creates an added incentive for those classmates who are still on the fence.

7. Create a Who’s Coming page Wait until there is a hefty amount of tickets sold or RSVPs received before you post this information. Once you do, make sure to update it as soon as you receive additional RSVPs. People will be more likely to come to the reunion if they see that it will be well-attended.

8. Send broadcast emails For many people the decision to come to the reunion is a process. The more reasons you give them to attend and the more nostalgia you throw their way, the more likely they are to come. 

In the North-eastern and Midwestern United States, Summer is the most popular time of year for reunions, and the main reason is the weather. If you want to leave the possibility for picnics and other outdoor events at the reunion, then choose June, July or August. If you are in the southern states you may actually prefer non - summer months to avoid the extreme heat. Thanksgiving Weekend is also a common choice as it coincides with trips back home for many alumni.

When selecting a date for the big event, you will need to weigh the convenience of a holiday weekend (people may already be planning a trip home) against the inflated costs of a hotel's high season. Holiday weekends also tend to be booked earlier in advance (venue, entertainment, accommodations, flights), so if you do decide Thanksgiving is the right time for you, be prepared to book early! A reunion is typically scheduled on a Saturday night.

If you are choosing a popular location on a holiday week-end you will need to book your venue at least 12 months in advance. So, where you have the reunion may be a function of what is available. But what place do you want?  In our estimation, hotels are the way to go. They provide you with support and supplies that would otherwise be your responsibility. Need a microphone?  No problem!  Need an easel for your registration sign? They’ve got it! They have done this before and have the experience that you lack.  Our next choice would be a restaurant, but make sure you have sufficient room for a registration area before you commit.

If you decide to choose a road less traveled (a gallery, or museum for instance), budget accordingly, and make sure that you have thought through the following list before signing on the dotted line: caterer, waiters and bartenders, tables, chairs, linens and dinnerware rentals, liquor license, audiovisual equipment, a screen for the slide show, registration tables, dance floor, washroom supplies, and liability insurance. You can learn a lot about a venue by visiting while an event is in progress, so take the time to see a live event if you can.

When you check out a possible venue, walk through it slowly. Imagine how you will divide the space for reception, registration, dining and dancing. Discuss decorating the walls, hanging a banner, and the equipment you might need: projector, screen, microphone, podium, easels, bulletin boards, and registration tables.

Choose a middle-of-the-road menu when looking at prices. Ask the hotel to give you a per person rate including open bar, and a per person rate without it. Find out the details of the cash bar option. How do they handle special meal requirements for those with allergies or special dietary requirements? Ask how it works if you decide to sell last-minute tickets at the door.

Once you have made your venue selection, try and negotiate the best price you can. If you are flexible with your dates, see if there is a quiet time for them that will reduce the costs significantly. Keep in mind though that the priority is to get a wellattended reunion, so give them dates that you have already determined will work for the majority of the class.

Position your reunion as a non-profit event and you may get a favorable rate. Verify what perks come included (if it is a hotel you may receive a complimentary suite for the evening, which comes in handy.) Find out the cancellation policy, liability insurance, hidden costs, overtime implications, etc. Remember to read the fine print before signing anything!

If the reunion is at a hotel, approach the hotel to arrange a special accommodations rate for out-of-town participants. If the venue is not a hotel, choose one nearby. Inform alumni about the special offer and any reservation deadlines that may be in place. 

As you discuss the kind of ambience you want for your reunion, don't just think in terms of decorations. Many elements contribute to the overall mood of the night.

Theme When setting the tone for your reunion, you do not need to plan a theme. Your event comes with a built-in theme! Help classmates reminisce about their school days by including graduation-year memorabilia as well as newsmakers from that era in the decorations.

Dress Code A popular choice is casual-chic, which is pretty much what your classmates would wear when going out for dinner with friends.

Entertainment Book your band or DJ as soon as you have confirmed the date of your reunion. Make sure their repertoire is what you are looking for, particularly if you would like to stick with tunes from your high school days. See them perform before you sign an agreement or contract. If you are working with a very small budget, consider asking a family member to DJ. Another option is burning pre-mixed CDs or loading up an mp3 player that can just play all night, if the venue has an adequate sound system. We suggest that you use the website to solicit music requests from classmates. Some committees rent karaoke machines, but don't rely on this as your only source of music.

Eating & Seating Buffet is by far the wisest choice for most reunions. Aside from significant savings, it gives people the opportunity to mingle during the meal. Pre-arranged seating keeps the room static and limits each person's connections to only nine other people for a significant portion of the evening. Assigning the seating also becomes quite touchy and is best avoided. Many caterers and hotels now offer small food stations throughout the room, instead of the traditional long row of food. This minimizes line-ups and congestion at the buffet table, and makes it feel more like a chic event.

Top 7 Decorating Ideas

Decorations provide an opportunity for creating a nostalgic mood, and you need not spend a fortune. Keep it simple.

• Balloon bouquets and streamers in your school colors is a well-used idea. You may want to choose a balloon service that inflates the balloons for you, which can be a real time-saver.
• Include a School banner . Before having one made, see if you can borrow a banner from the school or from other classes that have had reunions.
• Enlarge old school photos and post them on the walls and tables.
• Assemble collages from pictures that have been submitted.
• Post Top 10 lists from your graduating year : movies, music, news stories.
• Go to thrift shops and buy memorabilia from your high school years (records, toys, board games, and whatever else you can find).
• Build centerpieces with what you find ; creative centerpieces can double as awards and raffle giveaways!

Top 7 Display Ideas Every class creates a few unique displays for the reunion. Here are a few ideas:

• Enlarge your graduating class photo . You can ask everyone to sign it for a true piece of memorabilia. You can then copy that image and make it available to everyone or just give it away in an auction or as a prize.
• Pay tribute to deceased classmates by creating a memorial display. Post photos, short bios, and memories that you have collected. You can even initiate a tribute book where people can share comments and memories, and this book can be presented to the family following the event.
• Post a US, North American or world map that indicates all the cities where classmates now reside. You can also post a version of this on the website.
• Display the school mascot , school trophies, etc.
• Post comments, memories and photos sent in by classmates who could not attend the event.
• Post the Sponsor Honor Roll , listing all sponsors that gave donations or paid for space in advertising.
• Have a photo collage of your teachers that can also be signed by everyone. 

Program Booklet Some committees choose to have simple booklets that detail the order of events for the evening. You can also list the menu, contests, raffles and draws, award categories and recipients, as well as a quick word of welcome. Be sure to thank all sponsors and donors in the program. This can be as simple as one page folded in half or a few pages depending on how much content and advertising you have.  Top 5 Ideas for Video and Photography There are many inexpensive ways to get good photographs and video footage the night of the reunion. Here are a few:

• Place a disposable camera on each table , and encourage classmates to use them! Don't forget to collect the cameras at the end of the night. You can scan in the photos and upload them to the website after the reunion.
• Call the Yearbook staff of your high school and hire a student photographer.
• Enlist family members as photographers for the evening.
• Make arrangements with a photographer to be at the event, take candid shots as well as poses, and sell the photos directly to the classmates. This way, the committee does not have to worry about the cost.
• Enlist a volunteer or hire someone to videotape classmates giving a one-minute summary of what they've been up to. Edit the video after the event, and sell the DVD to classmates. This is much more lively than a Memory Book. This video can also be uploaded to the website.

Satellite events Depending on the amount of out-of-town guests you have, you may consider organizing additional events. The nature of the events depends on how long it has been since you graduated. A 10-year reunion might benefit from an informal 'Ice- Breaker' at a bar on Friday night, and a pick-up football game or pool party on Sunday. 20-year reunions often include a family picnic on Saturday or a Sunday pancake breakfast. Many reunion-goers also enjoy a round of golf on Sunday.

Out of town guests If you have the resources, arrange welcome packages for classmates who are guests at the hotel. Be sure to include a list of all the classmates checking in. Deliver the packages to the front desk. When people check in, they are handed the package!

For each attendee, the main attraction to the reunion is other classmates. The most memorable part of the evening is getting reacquainted with old friends. Having said that, you are expected to plan some activities. There are ongoing activities, as well as an official program.

Top Ongoing Activities Slideshow Run a continuous slide show throughout the evening. You may be able to borrow a projector from the venue where you are having the reunion or from a committee member’s day job. Get a head start on this early by requesting photos in your first mailing, or through a special email announcement. You can also use the slideshow from your class reunion website in combination with a projector.

Wine cellar Classmates who want to participate bring a bottle of wine. When they hand in the wine they get a special ticket. Draw a ticket during the program and someone goes home with a wine cellar! Remember to advertise this in advance, so people will know to bring bottles of wine.         

Contests Announce a contest for the best school-related story or memory, or hand out a high school-era trivia questionnaire. Solicit submissions throughout the night, and announce the winner during the program.

Official Program Arrange a host for the evening. If no committee member feels comfortable, consider approaching the class valedictorian or class president. Ensure you have a working microphone set up.

Awards People have come to expect awards at reunions. Keep them funny and light, and in good taste. The general rule is that if you have to ask if a certain category or prize is in good taste, assume it is not. If you give out gift certificates as prizes, make sure they are for national stores and restaurants. You will need to collect this information from your classmates through the website or through other correspondence. Top 7 Ideas for Awards at the Reunion

• Most recently married.
• Married for the longest time.
• Most children or grandchildren.
• Newest parents or grandparents.
• Most popular teacher.
• Travelled furthest for the reunion.
• Most educated.

Video Video elements can include a now tour of the school and old hang-outs, interspersed with then footage, interviews of former teachers, and clips submitted by classmates who could not attend the event. If someone on the committee is experienced at shooting and editing video, this can be assigned to them as a task. Done well, it can be the highlight of the evening.

Brief remarks The key word here is brief. Include a story or two from your school days. Take a moment to honor classmates who are no longer with us. Invite a teacher to say a few words. Announce the winners for any raffles, contests, and the wine cellar. Distribute the prizes and get on with the party!

Games Here are three suggestions, but the possibilities are endless.

• The host pulls out two names at a time. The contestants compete for the prize by identifying a jingle or song or commercial or movie from your high school years. This requires preparation before the reunion.
• A small gathering can play Two Truths and a Lie. Each person writes two truths and a lie about themselves on a paper, which then gets posted on their back. Everyone else tries to guess which one is the lie. Hand out cards with everyone's names and pencils, so people can track their guesses. The person who guesses the most lies correctly wins a prize. Revealing which statements are true / false is always a big hit.
• Each classmate writes a piece of personal information that is not common knowledge (ex. “I have a pet pig”), and the information is then gathered. Draw submissions, read them aloud, and let the class guess which submission belongs to which person. The person with the most correct guesses wins.

CHAPTER 15: REUNION GIVEAWAYS

There are two kinds of giveaways associated with reunions: stuff that people win, and stuff that gets distributed to everybody (a loot bag full of goodies included in the registration kits). It is a good idea to plan multi-purpose decorations. Some design centerpieces can also serve as prizes for contest winners. Awards can be records, movie posters, games that are already adorning the hall. If you have the extra time, it is always fun to arrange gag gifts for the awards: diaper pins for newest parents, a bottle of aspirin for parents of triplets, some golf balls for first to retire, to name a few. When you are arranging the loot bags for the registration kits, donated goods need to meet a few criteria: If it is free, legal, and does not offend, include the item in the loot bag. When ordering or creating custom souvenirs, however, try to choose simple yet practical items, which will not show up in next week's trash. You should place an order for any customized items at least 3 months in advance. Here are some nostalgic ideas that don't break the piggy bank.

Top 6 Giveaways at the Reunion  

• Notepads, pens and pencils in your school colors printed with your website address.
• Candy bars and Tic-Tacs commemorating the event.
• Coffee mugs printed with high school logo and reunion date , filled with now-obscure candy from your youth.
• Bags of M&M's in your school colors . Tie the bags with school-color ribbons.
• Take a class picture at the reunion . E-mail it to WalMart for processing and have a volunteer pick up the photos an hour later. Everyone goes home with a copy. Or once the reunion is over, have photo key chains made, and send them by mail. Everyone will be delighted with the surprise!
• Include a CD of the slideshow . Print out labels that commemorate the event . Not everything needs to be a giveaway. T-shirts, for example, are a great gift, if you can afford it. Otherwise, you can sell t-shirts. To ensure you have the right sizes in the right amounts, put a sample on the website, and people can pre-pay for shirts (specifying their size) when they buy their tickets. This also frees you up from dealing with a lot of cash at the event. Another option is to arrange for a school supplier to come to the event and sell t-shirts directly to classmates, which will free up your time and resources. Memory Books are also commonly sold, when the expense of the books is not covered in the budget.

CHAPTER 16: REUNION MEMORY BOOKS

Memory Books are the true souvenirs of a reunion.They are also known as photo books or programs. They can be distributed at the reunion or sent out postreunion, and may be hardcover, soft cover or on DVD. This will take time, persistence and a constant gathering of information every time you make contact with a classmate. If the book will be printed, check out pricing in advance. Make sure to weigh the value versus the cost, as hardcover books cost far more than soft cover. DVDs are great if you don't have the time to prepare. Your final text should be ready to go to the printers one month in advance, and allow plenty of time for proofreading.

Here are some elements you might want to incorporate:

• Note from the committee about their journey
• Class directory with 'Then' and 'Now' photos of each graduate, along with brief details about their life, marriage, kids and work
• Class statistics (who lives in which states, how many college graduates, how many married, etc.)
• Trivia and Top-10 lists from your graduating year
• Memorial to deceased classmates
• Advertisements
• Family photos
• Updates on some popular teachers
• Recap of the event (post-reunion)
• List of award and contest winners (post-reunion)
• Candid photos from the evening (post-reunion)
• Date of next reunion (if known)

If you give Memory Books as a gift to attendees, consider sending complimentary copies to those who could not attend. This may boost attendance at the next event! If you are selling the book, advertise it to those who were not at the event as well.

Planning an event well involves thinking ahead.  The more prepared you are, the smoother your evening will run. The following are must-haves before the day of the event:

Layout Diagram Create a diagram that indicates where you want to place the reception area, registration area, tables, bar, food stations, displays, etc.

Schedules You can never have enough schedules! Create a schedule for everything, from the initial set-up through to each event planned for the reunion. Give a copy of each schedule to all volunteers and speakers.

Decorations & Supplies Remind the volunteers when to be at the hall. Have lots of tape on hand, as well as staplers and scissors.

Displays You can prepare most displays ahead of time.

Signs Prepare signs that you might need: Registration, 50/50, Raffle, Trivia Contest, Wine Cellar, Drinks, Sponsors, Honor Roll Members, etc.

Lists Have lists for everything that has to be tracked. For example, master class list, sponsor list, paid list (include names of spouses), etc.

Name tags Use a large bold font, include maiden names and the person’s yearbook photo. Guest and spouse badges should have an easily identifiable look, so that people do not assume this is someone from school that they just don't recognize. Be prepared to create some tags on the spot for last-minute corrections and additions.

Registration kits Each registration kit could contain items such as the current class directory, the planned program for the evening, a Memory Book, a loot bag, name tag(s), and drink tickets. You can prepare generic kits and keep the name tags separate, or you can alphabetize the kits for easy distribution. Often, the loot bags will be handed out at the end of the evening, so that people are not bogged down with them during the event. As such, you might want to keep these separate from the main registration kit as well.

Giveaways Confirm that all deliveries and pick-ups will happen according to expectations. You will need your beverage and raffle tickets, as well as anything that will be used for games, contests and awards that you have planned.

Set-Up & Take-Down Even if you have done your homework and are expecting the set-up to be a breeze, there will inevitably be some small bumps the day of the event. Allow time in the schedule for the unforeseen. Start early in the day so you don't feel rushed. Store reusable items for future reunions.

Registration / check-in Properly think through and plan the registration process. When guests arrive, they receive registration kits and name tags, as well as any special papers, tickets or questionnaires that relate to contests or games you are planning. Highlight their names on your guest list as they check in.

If you have a no-tickets-at-the-door policy, and classmates do show up hoping to join in the fun, try to accommodate them. If this cannot be worked out with the caterer, suggest that the guests return after the meal for a discounted price. Keep track of any money you receive and issue receipts.

Don't bog yourselves down by running the check-in desk. Get a trusted volunteer for the night. Supply them with all the lists and information they need, and be available to them should any issues arise. They will also need some office supplies on hand (eg. pens, pencils, markers, scotch tape, masking tape). Make sure there are a lot of pens! People will be borrowing them all night to collect signatures in their Memory Books.

Any tables that deal with currency will need a cash box that includes a float. A fl oat is a sum of money that you keep in your cash box at the beginning of the event so that change can be provided. It is then subtracted from the total at the end of the evening when calculating the cash received. Raffles and contests will need ticket collection boxes. It is a good idea to always have at least one person (preferably two people) at the table with the cash box. 

The reunion is over! Your job is done! Well, almost. First there are some loose ends that need to be tied up:

• Balance the books and update them to include any funds raised at the event as well as any last-minute expenditures. Close the bank account, unless you want to keep it for the next reunion. If you have a large surplus, contribute to the school's endowment fund in honor of your event, or put it towards keeping the website alive to be used as an alumni website.
• Send thank you notes to the guests that attended , sponsors, the school, donors, and volunteers.
• Follow through on all outstanding Memory Books , t-shirt orders, etc.
• Upload photos from the event (s) to the website.
• Send out a post-reunion e-mail to all alumni requesting reunion photos for the website and feedback for next time.
• Have a post-reunion meeting two weeks after your event . Celebrate your accomplishment, but also take a moment to examine what worked, where the bumps were, and what can be improved for next time. Write these notes down for future reference.
• Keep the lines of communication open . Start an e-newsletter, and re-work your website to act as an alumni website until your next reunion.
• If your class is eager to stay in touch, don't wait for the next big event! Plan an outing to a sports event or concert. Have a standing bar night once a month. Start a jogging group.  The possibilities are endless...

Planning a reunion is a milestone event that everyone who attends will remember for many years to come. Your goal is to rekindle relationships that have been dormant for a long time, and create a wealth of new memories for your classmates. Hopefully the ideas in this book will help you plan the best reunion possible so that it was a positive experience for everyone.

Please send an email to [email protected] if you have any unique ideas that you did not find in this book, or if you found the book helpful and you would like to send us a testimonial.

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• Inspiration

17 fun presentation ideas (with video!) to wow your audience

• 30 Mar 2023

So you want to be the next Steve Jobs. Or Martin Luther King. Or any other dazzling orator you look up to. But you need a little something to add to your presentation ideas – you don’t want to bore people to death with Powerpoint.

Whether you’re creating a sales presentation, an event presentation, or just showing your travel video to Uncle Ron, we’ve compiled some of the best ways to get your audience seriously hyped up about your message.

Biteable offers online video presentation software, so we know a thing or two about making engaging presentation videos. In this guide, we share some of our favorite video presentation inspiration and show you some of the different types of presentations you might consider.

When you’re ready to make your own video presentation, head over to  Biteable  for hundreds of brandable templates, video scenes, and workplace-ready animations. With Biteable, making a video presentation is as easy as making a PowerPoint – only a whole lot more fun.

Create videos that drive action

Activate your audience with impactful, on-brand videos. Create them simply and collaboratively with Biteable.

Types of video presentations

If you’re looking to win over your audience with a presentation, videos are the best way to do it. According to Insivia, viewers retain  95% of a message  when they see it in a video, but only 10% if they have to read on-screen text.

When you’re making your presentation, you could either make your video the whole presentation, or just a part of the whole. Did you know, for example, that you can  embed a video in a Powerpoint document?  Either is possible with our video templates and it can be interesting to mix things up once in a while.

There are four main types of presentations:

• Informative
• Demonstrative
• Inspirational

Picking the right one will ensure you’re onto a winner with your video presentation. For example, if you’re onboarding some new employees, you might choose a video template that’s an informative presentation like this one:

Or, if you want to show off how something works, a demonstration presentation might be what you want to create:

A persuasive presentation would involve creating a video more like this charity infographic example:

And if you want something a little more inspirational, try something like this positive quote video template.

But that’s not all, folks! If you’d like to check out more awesome Biteable video templates, visit our  templates page here .

Creative (and fun!) video presentation ideas

You’ve now picked the type of presentation you need. But how do you get creative with your video?

First of all, it’s important your video is top-notch. Without high-quality graphics and production value, your message may fall by the wayside. Choose online  video presentation software  that’s easy to use and makes great-looking videos. That’s where Biteable comes in.

Whatever the topic of your presentation, your video format and design need to match the overall tone and message.

Delivering a corporate presentation on climate change? A fast-paced, wildly colorful template with upbeat music is going to feel a little off-message.

To identify how to design your presentation, think about the feelings you want to evoke in your audience. Want them to be crying with laughter? Moved to tears? Motivated into taking action? Pinpointing the emotions behind your presentation will help you choose the right template and make the best video possible.

17 great video presentation ideas

Now you’ve nailed down the type of video presentation you want to make, it’s time to master the finer details. Here’s just some of the ways you can make your message sing.

1. Start with a bold statement

A bold statement can capture your audience’s attention right from the get-go. Your statement should offer something slightly unusual and maybe even a little controversial. Something to make people sit up and take notice.

2. Tell a story

One of the best ways to get your audience’s attention is to tell a story – it’ll hit them right in the feels.

A personal, human story works because it the audience can relate to it on a personal level. Think about some stand-out examples of human stories that relate to your business or idea, and tell that story so people will connect with the central character. The bigger the emotion the better: love, longing, overcoming obstacles, things we’ve all had to deal with at some point in our lives.

Think about the  ‘story arc’  – how will you frame your message so the audience immediately empathizes?

If you’re selling trainers, perhaps you’ll talk about someone who’s training for a marathon. If you’re lobbying for women’s rights, perhaps you’ll tell a story of when a passing comment affected you deeply. Maybe you should think back to the decision that started your business, and start your presentation with that.

Here’s a great example of storytelling from one of the world’s top brands:

3. Use music

Music has great power to support and enhance the emotion in a video presentation, and has been proven to sustain an audience’s attention and aid in information retention. Music is used in movies to suggest an emotional state to the viewer, so why not in a video presentation?

Modern, up-tempo music will snap people to attention at the right moment, while slow, minor-key sounds relax the brain, which is useful for reviewing content so it can slip more easily into long-term memory.

It can be a struggle to find good quality  royalty free music , but here at Biteable we have a selection of great royalty free tracks (or you can upload your own if you’re that way inclined).

Music is one of the most critical (and often overlooked) aspects of any presentation. Here’s a good example of a Biteable template where the music does a great job of supporting the message.

4. Visual metaphor

Research has shown that combining pictures and text is one of the best ways to help people engage with and retain information. There’s something about how our brain works that makes text by itself far less memorable, so if you can combine something visual with your message, you’ll keep people’s attention longer and they’ll remember more of your presentation.

Talking to a group of people about taking action on something that scares them? A picture of someone diving or bungee jumping could work. Telling your boss how important that company retreat is next year? Show them an image of happy, relaxed people with their toes in the sand.

It doesn’t have to be obvious and clichéd, either. Closed doors, wide open roads, and lighting a candle all have subconscious messages that you don’t really need to explain. (Whatever you do, just don’t use the ultimate cliche: the overused  ‘water ripple’ .)

5. Use questions

Questions can be a great way to open a presentation, because they encourage the audience to think for themselves. It opens them up to a realm of critical thinking, which is perfect when you’re gonna sock it to them with your impactful message.

‘Did you know 15 billion trees are cut down each year?’

‘Have you ever considered what life would be like if you didn’t have to save money?’

The art of asking questions in a presentation means you can incorporate them into your video as a great lead-in. Combined with some appropriate music, it can really get your audience thinking about the issue, and then you’ll go on to explain exactly what your solution is.

Having a laugh can really do a lot to win over an audience. There’s no need to be too serious, and even if you’re dealing with a heavy topic, lightening the mood can work wonders.

Whether you’re looking to create a funny sales video, an event presentation, or a presentation for an interview — one thing’s for sure, you can’t go wrong by including humor.

7. Repetition

Simple. Effective. Powerful.

Repetition can be used in several ways: by offering several one-word sentences in a row (the repetition is in the rhythm), or by repeating a word or a key phrase several time throughout your presentation.

In his famous Stanford speech in 2005, for example, Steve Jobs concluded by saying  “Stay hungry. Stay foolish.”

Repetition is powerful. It drives home your key message and strengthens your position.

8. Motion Graphics

Motion graphics  are basically animation with text as a major component, and is a staple of what we do at Biteable.

When you use moving graphics in a presentation, it instantly captures attention. If your audience is just taking their seats, or are halfway through hearing your story, there’s no doubt they’ll sit up and take notice if you introduce some cool motion graphics, like this Meeting Tips example.

Although they can sometimes feel clichéd, quotes are a great way to impart a message in a presentation. Want your audience to understand something complex? A quote from Einstein should do it. Or would you like to say something meaningful and poetic? A couple of lines of Shakespeare should convey some wisdom.

10. Audio narration

Narration can give a different mood to your presentation, especially if the voice is powerful and the words are heartfelt. Use it to change the tone or pace of your presentation and it will certainly keep your audience hooked if there’s a danger of them losing interest.

11. Go bright with color

Color can have a huge effect on how your video comes across. Don’t be afraid to experiment. The contrasts of black and white can be extremely effective, but you can also grab people’s attention with some carefully-chosen primary and secondary colors, like in our Motion Graphics template.

12. Use illustrations

Illustrations are a great way to communicate information, especially if you’ve got lots to say. Whether you want to create a crowd of people or a cool depiction of some new fancy gadget, illustrations can draw the eye and make your presentation more interesting.

13. Infographics

When you utilize infographics, you can pack in a huge amount of data and information without confusing your audience. Think pie charts, digital numbers, and ascending animated graphs. These can show your audience boring data in an exciting way.

14. Create interesting transitions

The one advantage of video over a standard presentation is that you can do all types of funky things with transitions, like a whip pan transition, when the camera quickly pans between scenes. It’s a bit like a wipe, but much faster. Check out our full article on transitions  here .

15. Make it look cinematic

Adding a cinematic touch can help your audience feel receptive to your message because subconsciously, they will associate these elements with being at the cinema, eating popcorn, and generally having a good time.

16. Go retro

A cool, retro look for your presentation will make it hard to ignore. By going retro, you add a little bit of cheeky style to your message. You don’t need to go  quite as retro as the template below, but taking a step back in time is a sure way to add a little bit of zing to things.

17. End on a meaningful note

Your presentation will only give your audience a lasting impression if you end it right.

It’s important to let the audience know what you want them to do next: to visit a website for more information, to ponder an idea or new direction, or to take action toward a particular goal.

An attention-grabbing visual will work really well here, along with a meaningful end to the music – a change of pace, volume, or pitch.

What’s the takeaway message? A strong CTA (call to action) will ensure your presentation is memorable and much more likely to be talked about.

Video brings your presentation alive

Of course, we’re a little biased here at Biteable, but we’ve also sat through enough mind-numbingly dull presentations to know that video offers a delightful treat for your audience. It brings your message to life in a way no other medium can.

Ready to start crafting your presentation? Check out our range of templates  here .

Make stunning videos with ease.

Take the struggle out of team communication.

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