Reunion events are a great way to reconnect with old friends, celebrate achievements, and support your alma mater. But how can you make sure that your alumni are interested and engaged enough to attend? Here are some tips to help you plan and promote your reunion events effectively.
Before you start planning your reunion events, you need to understand who your alumni are, what they want, and how they prefer to communicate. You can use surveys, interviews, or social media to gather insights and feedback from your alumni. You can also segment your alumni by factors such as graduation year, location, industry, or affinity groups. This will help you tailor your events to their needs and interests, and target your marketing accordingly.
Your reunion events should offer something valuable and meaningful for your alumni, whether it is learning, networking, entertainment, or nostalgia. You can design your events around themes, topics, or speakers that appeal to your alumni, and showcase the achievements and impact of your institution. You can also offer a variety of formats, such as online, hybrid, or in-person events, to suit different preferences and schedules. You can also include some fun and interactive elements, such as games, trivia, or challenges, to make your events more engaging and memorable.
While we should not stress over not being able to cater our alumni activities to all alumni, we can definitely do our best in widening the range of activities and formats - not just social activities such as bar of the month and wine & cheese events, but also content-driven activities that allow knowledge exchange, professional networking opportunities, panel discussions and company insider visits. In today's world where activities can go beyond in-person, virtual activities will allow a wider reach to worldwide alumni wherever they are.
Diversity should be integrated into every aspect of reunion events, ensuring that all alumni feel included and represented. By offering a range of valuable and meaningful experiences, from learning opportunities, nostalgia and celebrations, we can create spaces where everyone can connect and engage authentically. This inclusive approach not only enhances the overall experience but also strengthens the sense of community and belonging among alumni.
You need to communicate your reunion events clearly and consistently to your alumni, using the channels and platforms that they use and trust. You can use email, social media, websites, newsletters, or phone calls to inform and remind your alumni about your events. You can also use testimonials, stories, or photos from previous reunions to highlight the benefits and experiences of attending. You should also provide clear and easy instructions on how to register, access, or participate in your events, and answer any questions or concerns that your alumni may have.
It is of utmost importance to understand where our alumni 'hang out' at - are they active on LinkedIn? do they communicate via WhatsApp best? Being able to identify a point of contact aka alumni club committee members or an alumni relations representative from the university to constantly engage and share the university's visions and plans with them is also crucial.
You can leverage your network of alumni, faculty, staff, and students to help you spread the word and generate excitement about your reunion events. You can recruit and train alumni volunteers to act as ambassadors, leaders, or hosts for your events, and encourage them to invite and follow up with their classmates and friends. You can also partner with alumni associations, chapters, or clubs to co-host or co-promote your events, and reach out to more alumni in different regions or sectors. You can also feature or invite prominent or influential alumni as speakers, guests, or sponsors for your events, and showcase their achievements and stories.
I have the privilege of overseeing our alumni Reunion class committees which play an essential role in fostering engagement, and ensuring the success of our Reunion events. Committee members play a pivotal role through their personal outreach to classmates, humanizing the Reunion registration process. It also provides an opportunity for the planning team to engage in a dialogue with alumni, addressing any questions or concerns, which can help overcome barriers to attendance.
After your reunion events, you should collect and use feedback from your alumni to evaluate the success and impact of your events, and identify areas for improvement. You can use surveys, polls, or reviews to gather feedback from your attendees, and thank them for their participation and support. You can also use analytics, metrics, or reports to measure the attendance, engagement, and satisfaction of your alumni, and compare them with your goals and expectations. You can use the feedback and data to inform and improve your future reunion events, and maintain a strong and lasting relationship with your alumni.
This reminds me when i waa student and everytime when a lecturer asks a question and you will some students looking at a particular student to have an answer. So my point is even in a classroom the students know each their strength and weaknesses as such the only way to get things done in the industry is bring together these diverse skills and the only way to encourage alumni is through the emphasis on the importance of networking.