Reunion 4 step process


4 step planning process

The following steps are intended as a guide only.

Step 1 - Establish event details and advise University of pending reunion.
Step 2 - Determine guest speaker/s, special guests and invitation list.
Step 3 - Design and send invitations.
Step 4 - Tell us how it went.
Planning Resources

STEP 1

Establish event details and advise University of the pending reunion.

Decide when and where the reunion will take place. The earlier these decisions are made the more time you have available for identifying and inviting fellow alumni to attend.

Things to consider:

  1. Date - What else is happening on campus around this date or within the area where the event will be held? Do any dates clash?
  2. Advise University – contact the Advancement Office to notify of pending reunion.
  3. Venues - Does the University have appropriate venues for the reunion?
  4. Accommodation (see other resources below) - It is important to establish potential accommodation requirements for those graduates who do not reside in the Brisbane area. Is there accommodation available at the University Colleges? The University's Collegese have special rates for student accommodation during semester break.
  5. Finances – Calculate all expenditure before deciding on the event registration fee. Consider the cost of the venue, hospitality, invitation design and printing, postage, online registration fee (if applicable), photography, entertainment and a contingency figure to cover any unforeseen expenditure. Use a budget template to assist in your calculations.

In almost all reunions, the reunion organising commitee is responsible for the record keeping of income and expenditure. It is recommended that a fee free bank account be set up for the reunion. 

If costs have been estimated correctly, the event may have a small surplus. If this is the case, a donation to the faculty/school could be considered. Please speak with the relevant faculty to discuss this option.

STEP 2

Determine guest speaker/s, special guests and invitation list

Once the event details have been confirmed, it is important that approaches to guest speakers or invitations to special guests are made at least six months in advance.

Things to consider:

  1. What topic/s should the speaker talk about? 
  2. Will the speaker/s charge a fee? 
  3. Are they an overseas or high profile speaker who need their accommodation and transport covered?
  4. Is there anyone from the University that could be approached to speak? Visit  http://www.uq.edu.au/uqexperts for a list possible speakers 
  5. Consider past UQ lecturers. It is best to contact the relevant faculty or school for this information.

Establish invitation list

Once the basic plans are in place, it will be time to make contact with alumni. Most reunions are based on graduation year, however reunions are not limited to this configuration. For example, a reunion may be based on an academic department, University club or college of residence. In this case, alumni from several different year groups may be invited. 

Things to consider:

  1. The reunion organiser should notify their faculty/school contact with a request to contact alumni for the reunion invitations.The relevant faculty/school contact will then request a list and distribute the invitations on behalf of the reunion organisers.
  2. A list of names (not contact details) will be provided to the reunion organiser for reference.
  3. Return to sender replies and contact updates received by the faculty/school contact are to be forwarded to the Advancement Office for data base updates.
  4. Invitations that require re-sending are to be sent by the faculty/school contact.

STEP 3

Design and send invitations

Things to consider:

Invitation design

It is advised to send a ‘Save the Date’ claimer as early as possible. This is a good method to raise awareness of the event, get an indication of who will be attending and to allow invitees plenty of time to organise flights and other planning requirements.

It is recommended that official invitations be sent at least two months in advance, and up to at least six months for internationally based alumni.

Invitations must be sent on behalf of the reunion organisers by either the faculty or school.

Remember to allow for alumni who will want to attend the reunion with a partner.

Within a minimum of one month before the reunion a confirmation letter should be sent that includes final event details. 

The following details should be included on reunion invitations:

  • Constituent identification number;
  • A list of reunion activities;
  • Registration form or link to an online registration form (including payment options);
  • Accommodation information;
  • rsvp details (e.g. preferred name for name tags and dietary requirements);
  • Parking details; and
  • Other information as required, e.g. wheel chair access.

Invitation rsvp list

Reunion rsvp’s are to be managed by the reunion organising committee. It is therefore important that event registration pages mention that their rsvp will result in their contact details being sent to a third party other than UQ, and there must be an approval section on the registration form acknowledging consent. You can use this disclaimer for this purpose.

The reunion organiser must keep a record of any rsvp’s and contact detail changes and forward these details onto the Advancement Office for database updating. An rsvp spreadsheet is provided for this purpose.

STEP 4

Tell us how it went!

We are really interested to hear about your event. Do you have any stories that you would like to submit to the alumni team? We are always proud to publish profiles and testimonials from our alumni and are currently building a portfolio of stories to share on our website.

If you would like to submit photos and an overview of your event for publication on the relevant faculty/school website, please forward your report or story to either your faculty/school contact.

Other resources

A list of recommended service providers have been provided below to help with planning your reunion. These listed businesses are either based on UQ's St Lucia campus or close by. Service providers at other University campus' can be found here.

Venues - on campus; near campus; in Brisbane
Accommodation - on campus; near campus; in Brisbane
Caterers - on campus; in Brisbane
Parking - on campus

Public Transport 

If you require further information, please contact the UQ Alumni team on + 61 7 3346 3166 or email: uqalumni@uq.edu.au.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
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