ALUM & I

Going back to your high school will achieve several objectives, some of which will be immediately useful while others will help you later on. Make sure you do these things: v Inform the school about your intention to plan a reunion. v Ask if anyone else has contacted the school with the same idea. If so, contact that person and join forces or decide which reunion will be planned. There is no room for competing reunions. v Obtain a complete class list with any contact information the school can provide. v Ask the school administrator to add a link to their website for your reunion. v Ask to borrow the school banner and mascot for your reunion. v Ask if they still have yearbooks from your graduating year. v Give the alumni director your business card or contact information, in case former students contact the school with reunion related questions. v Come prepared with your camera and video camera to photograph the school grounds to use on your Facebook page, website and at the reunion.

If you are planning a reunion of significant size, you may want to create business cards with the school name, reunion year and school mascot. Include the planner’s name, telephone number, email address and website.

Business cards are inexpensive and very convenient to leave with old classmates who you come face to face with. They are also good to leave with vendors and show a level of seriousness that usually results in a well-attended and successful event. From Rob Hirshheimer, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, President of myevent.com.

Angels to Go by Jim Becker and Andy Mayer (1995, Berkley Books) is a delightful small book of punchout angels to help you with romance, mutual funds, bad hair and lots more! The Angel of High School Reunions says it will “trim your thighs, upgrade your car, and transfer your kids from the Academy of Mixology to Yale!” High school classmates have been bestowed Presidential seals and Oscars from their heavenly helpers. When you bond with “kindred spirits of your youth” you’ll be secure in the knowledge you’ve “surpassed them in every way.” However, all these positive effects of the angel go into remission immediately following your reunion.

Did you know there are reunion planning companies that partner with high school reunion committees to plan their reunion? Whether you’ve planned all your previous reunions or this is your first time taking the lead, consider using a professional reunion planner. The planner can help limit the financial risk, potentially increase reunion attendance, handle behind-the-scenes work needed to make your reunion party a great success, and save you time and money.

Here are 5 tips for working with a professional reunion planning company.

A high school reunion is a very different party than a wedding reception or corporate event. Professional reunion planners have experience in the uniqueness of a high school reunion and understand the steps necessary to ensure a successful celebration. Trust their estimated attendance numbers, their marketing plan for selling reunion tickets, and their suggested food and beverage options.

Professional reunion planners share your goal to have a memorable and well attended reunion. They manage much of the reunion busywork, such as handling payments, signing contracts, finding classmates, and updating the class database. This frees committee members’ time to personally reach out to classmates to encourage ticket sales, which is the number one thing a committee can do to ensure great reunion turnout. Let your professional planner handle event planning so the committee can be the reunion’s cheerleader.

Professional reunion planners will need specific information and details about your class and your vision for the reunion party. v A class list with last known addresses, if available. This may be a booklet from a previous reunion or a database provided by your school or district. v Attendance numbers at previous reunions. v 2-3 venue suggestions of where you would like to have your reunion. v Links to your reunion website or Facebook group. v Details about food options you’d like to offer. Plated dinner, buffet, or heavy hors d'oeuvres? And if you want a DJ or would a venue with a sound system or streaming service suffice?

Protect yourself by insisting on a written contract which clearly states the reunion ticket price, services, and products to be offered by the professional reunion planner. Ask for references. A professional reunion planner will gladly provide references and answer any questions about past reunions and locating high school alumni.

Beware of reunion packages that contain little or no flexibility. A professional reunion planner should be willing to provide choices and variation for each class, with marketing materials specific to your school and reunion year.

The National Association of Reunion Managers (NARM) is a network of professional reunion planners who follow strict industry standards while adhering to a Code of Ethics. NARM planners have strong contacts with hotels, banquet facilities, caterers, DJs, and more. Best of all, reunion committees still maintain the decisionmaking power when working with a professional reunion planner. Find a NARM planner at www.reunions.com. Shared by Cyndi Clamp, owner of Varsity Reunions Services, in St Louis, Missouri; www.varsityreunions.com. They plan reunions in the St Louis, Missouri, Chicago, Illinois, and Houston, Texas, areas.

The pitch for the Apple TV+ series The Afterparty caught my attention because the party it’s after is a high school reunion. On the night of the reunion, a wealthy and successful member invites his classmates back to his house, and he ends up dead. A cop and her colleague descend upon the house and keep everybody there while they get each participant's version of what happened. The first season is eight episodes ending just as this issue is released, so you’ll have to go back to access the entire season.

The concept is that, in addition to each episode representing a different person’s version of the evening, each is made in a different genre. One episode is a rom-com, one a musical, one is animated, one is an action-movie story. It is more an examination of how adults remain at the mercy of their high school selves than it is a wacky party movie. It’s described as fun, and clever, but gently funny. There's a fair amount of warmth toward these weirdos and their hang-ups, even though, presumably, one of them killed somebody. From a review by Linda Holmes on NPR’s Pop Culture Happy Hour. Watch the trailer.