Forum : Planning a Great Reunion : Share reunion planning tips and learn how to best utilize your Reunion Planner. http://forums.classcreator.com/ We had several people pay at the door and one other told us his check must have been lost in the mail. We had extra money, so we tried not to get nervous about these people and we went with the flow. I think the best idea is to make your best guess on the hotel drop dead date, and go with it. We thought about having the committee served last, in case the hotel ran out of food, but things seemed to work out just fine. Less than a week before our Reunion there was a big flood in our town and we got calls wondering if the event was cancelled. The flood just gave us more interesting pictures and items to talk about after it was all over. http://forums.classcreator.com/messages.cfm?messageid=17AA9751-9FA1-837A-5F740AC87887FA7D&r=1 2009-11-21T16:54:33-05:00 Selling Tickets - HELP! Hi Vanessa... I think it's typical..but I'm new at this too, and we're in the same boat. Our reunion is in early August. We have 240 active classmates, 156 saying they're coming on their profile, but only 27 tickets purchased. I think part of the issue is the holiday season...we're thinking that in January, we'll really start pressuring them to pay up. One of the things we did that really helped a surge of purchases was put a refund policy on our reunion page. Based on our dates and venue contract, we felt that if people were gun shy due to the early payments it might help - and it did...somewhat. Here is what we used...feel free to adapt to your situation accordingly... REFUND POLICY Tickets purchased before January 1, 2010 and canceled before February 1, 2010. The refund will be 100%. All tickets purchased after January 1, 2010 will be subject to following refund schedule. Cancellation before Feb. 1, 2010- 90% of purchase Cancellation before Apr. 1, 2010- 80% of purchase Cancellation before June 1, 2010- 50% of purchase Cancellation before July 1, 2010- 25% of purchase Cancellation after July 1, 2010- No refund available July 10, 2010 will be the last day tickets may be purchased. This is so we can accurately report a headcount to the Hotel. We are sorry - there will be absoultly NO tickets sales at the door. Good luck.. Bonnie http://forums.classcreator.com/messages.cfm?messageid=1724058C-B2FF-8619-43DA8FC29538E8B2&r=2 2009-11-21T14:27:34-05:00 Selling Tickets - HELP! Your problem is typical. It might help to put on the website the names of the people attending. People go to reunions to see particular people they have not seen in a long time. I have a small class (65) so I was able to call thru the class list to see who would attend. For answers I got yes, no & maybe. We planned for the yesses & maybes but most of the maybes didn't come anyway. http://forums.classcreator.com/messages.cfm?messageid=16B40F41-CFDA-9884-F7F34BA653CCE583&r=3 2009-11-21T12:25:16-05:00 Selling Tickets - HELP! Who would be responsible for damage to the books? Could result in expensive almost "free" centerpieces. Someone would have to check out all the books then haul numerous heavy tomes to your venue, then get them back to the library without something spilled or smeared (coffee, cocktails, whatever) all over them. The Dollar Store offerings sound safer when you balance the costs of replacing library books. Mary http://forums.classcreator.com/messages.cfm?messageid=13E8DEB9-E5A8-D0E8-7C73ECC35BA3E18F&r=4 2009-11-20T23:24:06-05:00 Center piece ideas for reunion I was wondering how long most alumni take to purchase their tickets? Have any of you found that a lot of people wait until the last minute? Our reunion is this coming June. There are roughly 6 months or so until our event. I have sold about 20 tickets so far, but the sales have come to a grinding hault. I need a confidence boost! Help! Ideas? Suggestions? Thank you! :D -Vanessa http://forums.classcreator.com/messages.cfm?messageid=12891BAA-E169-F8C8-74CE0AB3E3054522&r=5 2009-11-20T16:59:53-05:00 Selling Tickets - HELP! Simply upload the .wmv video to your File Vault, then click the Insert link inside File Vault to insert a link to the video on your web site. When Classmates click the link the video will play in the Windows Media Player. There's a variety of other ways to also put a video on your site, but uploading the .wmv to File Vault and just providing a link to the video is probably the easiest. http://forums.classcreator.com/messages.cfm?messageid=0560AAE1-D530-BB44-EB79C3EA44136610&r=6 2009-11-18T03:40:39-05:00 adding a video Thanks Nancee. We are in the process of planning a birthday party for our class since we all turn 60 next year. Pam http://forums.classcreator.com/messages.cfm?messageid=050AC18C-A3C0-1EC0-EF50B3225B103FEA&r=7 2009-11-18T02:06:48-05:00 Center piece ideas for reunion Brad: Is there another way to add a video besides placing it on Youtube first? We would prefer not to if possible. We would like to sell it and not allow others to copy it. Any other suggestions? Margie http://forums.classcreator.com/messages.cfm?messageid=04EBEA85-EC97-034F-FF80C8D851420F45&r=8 2009-11-18T01:33:07-05:00 adding a video Found some PhotoMosaic Software for both Windows and the Mac. I've heard of it, but haven't used it. http://www.andreaplanet.com/andreamosaic/ Scott http://forums.classcreator.com/messages.cfm?messageid=0483E3C5-0F49-4118-71A539E41CACE09E&r=9 2009-11-17T23:39:30-05:00 Photomosaic of your Class Mascot Hi Pam, I'll see if I have a picture of the Centerpiece. If I do I'll contact you by private email. Give me a couple days, please. Thanks. N http://forums.classcreator.com/messages.cfm?messageid=040003FA-BC5A-72D0-98F4F52A19BCE9F7&r=10 2009-11-17T21:15:27-05:00 Center piece ideas for reunion paula, if your time and budget is tight, here is a something simple ... make round or square pieces of paper (approx. 12x12) in school colors, depending on the size of table, put maybe 3 to 5 in the middle. on top of that, lay some silk greenery and a silk flower in your school color. you could add a small votive candle to the top of that or any other type of decoration you may have. or, instead of the greenery/flower just laying on the table, put them in a small inexpensive vase with a colored ribbon around it. people are not going to be concerned about the centerpieces. remember too, each centerpiece does not have to be exactly the same. enjoy your reunion !! http://forums.classcreator.com/messages.cfm?messageid=03D8FAA1-FB60-AACF-09305DAA84FF2B3C&r=11 2009-11-17T20:32:49-05:00 Center piece ideas for reunion Bonnie ~ love the idea with the books and balloons! :D http://forums.classcreator.com/messages.cfm?messageid=03656A1B-C9C5-CDF9-EF4637BE29A849EB&r=12 2009-11-17T18:26:35-05:00 Center piece ideas for reunion Nancee, do you photos to post of the centerpieces? Thanks. Pam http://forums.classcreator.com/messages.cfm?messageid=0352AF8D-F9E3-C6E4-C1494E2138BC4CF2&r=13 2009-11-17T18:06:08-05:00 Center piece ideas for reunion Our 40th is in August...I had an idea that I hope to use...I thought it would be fun to check in with the local library and see if they would work with us to borrow a large # of books over the weekend. Stack the books up in the center of the table - with the binders making a kind of twisting pattern...1.5-2" thick books could work well. About 5-6 books in each stack per table. Then use helium filled balloons - with the school colors tied around the top book. You could also have tea light candles around the book stack. With library books - there's no worry for storage and it's free. http://forums.classcreator.com/messages.cfm?messageid=026DA565-D989-8F67-6EFA7B3492ECC238&r=14 2009-11-17T13:55:57-05:00 Center piece ideas for reunion Paula ~ You never mentioned if you were having a theme for your reunion. We had a 70's theme for ours this year so lava lamps were sitting around on tables along with old records of our favorite 70's music, copies of old pictures of classmates were all over the tables and...who could forget the disco ball hanging from the middle beam of the barn dance we had. We never bought anything as we already had all of these items stored away in our homes. I just sent an email and had them the week before the reunion. I'm like Nancee - Dollar Tree, Dollar General and Family Dollar have great prices for sconces, candles, etc. Another idea could be glass bowls filled with water and red marbles or stones at the bottom and then pretty floating candles in them. On white table cloths, sprinkle some red confetti to add a special touch that is inexpensive. Paula - one other thought for your next reunion. When we formed our Class Reunion Committee, we formed or delegated other committees, one of them being a decorating committee, which consited of 3 people (including me). That should take away that part of the stress for YOU who has done so much on the website and still doing so much and even more after the reunion. Good luck with your reunion next week ~ I am sure it will turn out wonderful and you will get a standing O! DAwn http://forums.classcreator.com/messages.cfm?messageid=025B44B7-E40B-4608-A830D12CF21C84E6&r=15 2009-11-17T13:35:53-05:00 Center piece ideas for reunion Do you have a "Dollar Tree" in your neck-of-the-woods? If not, they have an online presence. I bought 14" tall clear glass Hurricanes, INSIDE of those I bought and put 10" white carriage candles that were poured into clear glass containers. EACH of those cost $1.00. To secure the carriage candle inside the hurricanes, I bought green and white (our school colors - they have red too) glass pebbles which I poured into the hurricanes about 1 and a half inches high. The bags of pebbles were $1.00 for 12oz. I bought spools of 18 yds of 2" wide wired green ribbon for $1.00 each & tied big bows to the outside of the Hurricanes. These were set on 14" round mirrors in the center of the tables. The mirrors were rented very in expensively. We decided to keep the Candle centerpieces for our next Reunion - they were stunning, totally inexpensive, & we had storage space. We had a Raffle of 4 CD sets of the 25 Top Records of each of our 4 years. Also a classmate sells cool wood swival top stools with the tops emblazed with the School mascot- we raffled 2 & he took orders for 16 more they were so neat! We turned our Profiles into a 300 page spiral bound Reunion Books that we gave away with a logoed pen & letter opener which we bought in bulk very inexpensively online. We bought inexpensive balloons, rented Helium tanks, built 30 balloon towers, and had door prize drawings that 15 of our classmates donated from nice picture frames to silly fish socks. Our School archived our weekly school Newspapers into 4 2' x 3' bound binders that were on display along with misc. Memorbilia from the Alumni Archive Room. Also, a classmate spent 200 hours photographing 400 images from those Archived Binders along with 200 pix we sent in to him & turned it all into a 50 minute DVD set to Music that Played on 3 big screen TVs all nite. We are selling the DVD for $15.00 ea. We went to Staples and they did a Placard of all of our Deceased and put it on a disc so we can add to it. Each name had a rose by it and a flag if appropriate,& it was drapped in black. We had it on an elegant Easel with Candles - people raved about it! This was our 45th Reunion and we spread it over 3 days and it was a spectacuar success thanks to Classcrators and all of the staff and generously sharing Admins! It was the talk of the town & still is! Centerpieces and give aways are nice icings, but all people really want is to connect, so don't worry too much about it. Good luck; I'm sure you will do marvelously! Blessings, N http://forums.classcreator.com/messages.cfm?messageid=0031F752-B3B3-85BE-01960D834F4CEB77&r=16 2009-11-17T03:31:32-05:00 Center piece ideas for reunion Great idea. Would love to do for next reunion...sounds like lots of planning on getting gifts. Thanks http://forums.classcreator.com/messages.cfm?messageid=001B7F58-B78A-D079-3A79AB02CE860B53&r=17 2009-11-17T03:06:59-05:00 Center piece ideas for reunion This may or may not be appropriate - you decide... Since you are relatively young... (our class is 10 years in front of you) one thing that's very important is raising money for the reunion... one way you could do it is to have a "Raffle" at each table during the 20 year reunion. Each table centerpiece would be gift wrapped in real pretty Red & Gold gift wrap. (Our boxes were about 24" square) they can be adorned with the nice red & Gold school colors and School things. But more importantly, be the actual gift that someone sitting at that table would win. At some point close to the end of the evening the raffle is announced and the winners are picked. Lets say you have 15 at a table, and 10 tables, then you would have 10 raffles. During the evening of the Reunion you would collect the money for the raffle centerpiece. (You can also sell raffle tickets on your site) We charged $25 per ticket. Who ever wins, gets the centerpiece. All the money raised from the raffle goes towards your next reunion. Remember the most you could make from this would be the total number of centerpieces you have, so make it worth what your charging! As far as the gifts... we went around town a couple of months before the reunion and got different stores to donate items. We had lots of gift certificates, Clothing, furniture etc... Also, all these people were thanked on the program that was printed, ie... had a small business card size add in the program. Anyway.. it's a lot to plan and do, but is actually a nice idea if you don't want just a couple of flowers on the centerpiece.. http://forums.classcreator.com/messages.cfm?messageid=00139589-B36A-0BDF-794F87B8002923BC&r=18 2009-11-17T02:58:21-05:00 Center piece ideas for reunion Thanks...great ideas. http://forums.classcreator.com/messages.cfm?messageid=000DD8EB-EC52-420D-B7B9AD60689FD90D&r=19 2009-11-17T02:52:05-05:00 Center piece ideas for reunion We had bags with school logo and school colors. Inside bags were balloons in school colors. One of our talented alumni assembled them herself. Ive attached a picture of the centerpiece. I also made candy favors using cheap plastic shot glasses with stick on logo filled with school colored M&M's and individually wrapped hostess mints in school colors and with "40" wrappers. Half were wrapped in PURPLE TULLE & white ribbon. The other half were wrapped in WHITE TULLE & purple ribbon. One was set at every place setting alternating purple & white. It turned out really nice... The most expensive part was purchase of M&M's in bulk. At least they got to take something away with them besides the memory of a fun night... http://forums.classcreator.com/messages.cfm?messageid=FFFFF779-E988-1C1D-7C339F5301D225F3&r=20 2009-11-17T02:36:55-05:00 Center piece ideas for reunion