How to Host a 20 Year Reunion

One of the most important things to understand about hosting a 20-year reunion – or any reunion – is that outreach is as important to success as the big party itself. Start early to build anticipation and maximize participation.

Email and social media such as Facebook make this easier than ever. Chances are you already use Facebook, have joined the “You know you’re in/from [insert hometown here] if…” FB page, and have spun off a reunion page that you administer. (If not, all these ideas are translatable to email, message boards, etc.) The next step is to utilize it effectively. Use the page to:

Find high school classmates and 20 year-old artifacts. Put out short lists regularly of people you’re seeking, yearbooks you’re missing, and old photos of landmarks you’d like to display.

Build new reunion memories. Use status updates to provide a personal welcome to new members as they join. Ask questions: “Anybody here from the CHS Choir?” “Did you catch Jurassic Park when it opened? Who’d you see it with?” “Tube skirts or flannel shirts?” Conversations will nurture a comfort level among participants. They will also tell you what’s still universally memorable to the Class of ’93.  At the reunion itself, many committees set up stations that replay a high school video or leave scrapbooks filled with pictures.  Ask attendees to sign a physical or digital guest book with messages about the past or predictions for the future.

Add value to the reunion ticket. Perhaps reunion committee members have worked out a deal for a block of discounted hotel rooms, or someone is organizing an afternoon picnic. Give reminders of these extras regularly to ensure that new page members see it – some folks will search older threads and the Events page when they join, but many won’t.

Let’s say that the Jurassic Park mention got a huge response. What do you do with this information? We recommend planting a cardboard cutout of a T-Rex somewhere in your venue as a symbol of a good time had by all.

Take the symbolism as far as you want: Empire State Building prop to stand in for Sleepless in Seattle, Red Roses backdrop for Bon Jovi’s “Bed of Roses,” and so on.

Party props mixed with Class of ’93 artifacts (game balls, photo canvases of class outings, etc.) can form the basis of a guessing game about senior year events that classmates start on upon arrival.

The overall party theme could reflect early 90s popular culture or could come from other shared experiences, such as:

• Favorite hangouts: beach, movie theater, dance club
• Special events: annual fair/carnival, excursions into the city
• School pride: winning-est sports, music and academic teams; school colors
• Other: senior prom theme duplication, crowd-sourced ideas put to a vote

Again, let outreach interactions be your guide. Once the reunion theme is chosen, you’ll be able to coordinate banners, favors and tableware with theme decorations.

Two areas may require extra supplies: tableware and favors. Be sure to know how many display tables you’ll need for name tags, yearbooks and the like so that you can cover them similarly to the dining tables. Likewise, have contests worked out in advance of ordering (dance moves, classmate-who-traveled-the-farthest-to-get-here) so you can select favors as prizes.

Are you planning a reunion party this summer? Let us know how it’s going!

DIY Clear Favor Bags with Personalized Tops Keep Favors Affordable

Here’s a party favor budget breakthrough for you: personalized favor bags for less than 25 cents each!

The secret is a do-it-yourself component, but the DIY is not a tough assignment in the least. Just fill the bags with treats or treasures and close them by attaching the themed tops you’ve personalized at the Stumps website.

There are at least three ways to use the new bags:

1. Offer bulk items. Shift an investment in money over to time instead, by buying or making your goodies in bulk and bagging them yourself. Bulk candy, nuts, mints and gumballs come to mind immediately, and you can easily find this type of item in colors to match your theme. Edibles are welcome at prom and other teen parties, and are always a terrific strategy whenever you are planning a largish party with a smallish budget.

Don’t stop the imaginings with sweet treats, though. How about sharing small bulbs or seeds/flowerheads for a garden club party, a homemade Cajun seasoning mix for a Mardi Gras themed event, or a Russian tea drink mix for a Mothers’ Day get-together?

Some ideas might involve a slip of paper or a label that identifies the contents and gives instructions for use. As long as the directions are very simple (e.g., “add 2T to 6 oz. hot water”) don’t count out any idea your imagination brings to you!

A small spoon or scoop could be the perfect way to finish a bagged mix, too.

2. Protect favors. Besides leaving a personalized touch, your favor bags may play a role in protecting favors from one mishap or another. A bagged necklace or medallion can’t get tangled with another one, for instance. And if you’ve chosen something shiny to favor your guests with, such as mirror-finish metal key tags, you can keep them in pristine, un-smudged condition until the partygoers themselves get their hands on them.

3. Create an assortment or kit. We love the s’mores kit in the Western bandanna-themed favor bag at right. It’s an excellent example of what we’re getting at with this category, which takes the bulk idea and multiplies the fun in a clever way whether you are talking parties or commercial promotions.

Prepare allotments of poker chips, plush dice and casino mints for a Vegas theme, and for Castle event favor bags place glass slipper key tags upon nests of silver party beads. Carnival bags can include tickets or tokens along with pre-wrapped edibles. Sample sizes of spa products and small glow items are also candidates for bagging; three items per favor bag is usually optimal.

Whether you’re looking to put together something festive that doesn’t break the bank, or simply want to put the budget more toward the favor than the container, the new DIY personalized clear favor bags may be just the thing for you and your event. Come by soon to browse and brainstorm.

Energize Prom Cruise Guests with a Carnival Theme

Combining Prom Themes

No matter where you have your prom, an easy way to make it a memorable event is to combine two themes to make your own! Your prom will be much more personalized for your school and your students. If you do it well, you can tie in a variety of themes. This will also take focus away from the physical location of the dance. Combining themes makes it easier to have a dance anywhere, from the school gym to a banquet hall to a cruise ship!

Combining Nautical and Carnival Themes

Combining a nautical theme with a carnival theme gives you the opportunity to tie in a few other themes. Subtle hints are all you need—many cruise ships, for example, have a casino room, so you could also incorporate a casino theme. You can also tie in other themes with your favors. If you choose to add the casino theme, section off a portion of your event room with alternating red metallic curtains and black metallic curtains to create a mini-casino! Create Black Jack and Texas Hold ‘Em tables and give your guests personalized poker chips as a fun party favor.

A great way to combine prom themes is by mixing up the party favors. Give male prom guests gob hats and the female prom guests feathered masks. Also, rather than simply handing out beads to your guests, work the beads into the centerpieces for your tables! This way, not only will your dance have a much more “finished” feel, your guests will feel like they’re taking home a piece of the dance.  You can also place personalized candy jars around the table filled with extra snacks for your guests to enjoy while they’re dancing the night away.

If your prom is in a school gym rather than on a cruise ship, you can still combine nautical and carnival themes and make a splash with your students! Use decorations to set the cruise ship scene—hang anchor and porthole cutouts along the walls to give your guests the feeling of being on the lower deck of a cruise ship. You could also hang an ocean background on a wall and place a few lengths of ship’s rail in front of it— your guests will be able to lean over the rail and look out at the deep blue sea! Then, to incorporate the carnival theme, you could create a few different stations with carnival-themed snacks for your prom-goers. For example, you could hand out popcorn, cotton candy, and mini pigs-in-blankets. You’ll probably want to stay away from things like snow cones, as they could stain clothing.

The possibilities for a prom with more than one theme are endless! You just have to use a bit of creativity. Combining prom themes will make your even fun, memorable, and exceptionally personal for your high school and your students.