EventPro Magazine - Spring 2015 EventPro Magazine Fall 2016 | Page 14

Life’s An Event
Creating Fabulous Family Reunions
By: Rose Hoene

Family is n
ot an
important
thing.
It’s everyt
hing.

- Michael J
. Fox

Don’t Do it Alone, “Delegate”
One of the first things that helped me be successful at
planning my own family reunions was drawing on the ideas
and strengths of my relatives by recruiting a few volunteers
(but not more than two or three!) who were willing to be
the “Planning Committee.” This process, in an of itself, can
be a “mini” reunion where you can gather a variety of ideas
and, often, get reacquainted with, family members you may
have lost touch with. As the saying goes “many hands make
light work” and, having a small core group of people willing
to work cooperatively together to get things done is truly
essential for making your family event a success.

Location Matters
Take some time to think about what type of location
would be best for your family gathering. Make sure that
it is accessible and affordable as much as possible. Help
people plan by providing them with a list of lodging
possibilities in the area and setting up rides for people
who may need them. Whether you decide to go to an
amusement park or a remote camping area, make sure
to consider who may want to attend and do all that you
can to include everyone’s interests and needs into your
planning.

Start Planning Early

Keep it Simple

Many venues, including parks, campgrounds, hotels,
and resorts, require reservations far in advance. In many
instances, you will need to plan your reunion up to a year in
advance. A year, or more, may seem far away, but you will
be amazed at how fast time will fly and, before you know
it, all your planning and organizing will pay off. Having
enough advance notice is also important for many families due to the distance they may need to travel, the money
they may need to save to make the trip, and getting enough
time off from work and other summer activities in order to
attend. Having enough advance notice also gives you the
opportunity to really promote your event by building up
the momentum and anticipation that will keep everyone excited and interested in attending.

Although creating lots of fun options for activities
during a family reunion may be tempting, experience has
taught me over the years that there’s a lot to be said for not
over-planning to the point where your family members
don’t have lots of time to “just be” together. If you are having
a one day event, having a few interactive games and a
barbeque may be just enough or, if you are planning a
longer event , having just one main activity each day, such as
a fish fry in the afternoon or a banquet or dance at night, can
work very well for most families. This allows ample time for
everyone to meet and greet, reminisce, relax, and “hang
out” together. This “free time” is often what will add new
memories and