What to Do When -- Establishing a Timeline for your Military Reunion
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One of the biggest challenges in planning a reunion is getting the timing right. Where
to begin is a lot like baking a cake; you have to gather the right ingredients before you
can get started. The biggest jumpstart you can give yourselves is a good review of the
big picture -- to get a handle on the major tasks so you can break them down into
smaller steps. Once you identify the steps, you can set deadlines so that all the pieces
come together on time.
Much of reunion planning is interdependent, so some tasks can't begin until others are
completed. The major milestones typical to most reunions are:
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the date the first communication goes out inviting people to join the
committee (from 12 to 18 months before the reunion) |
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choosing a date for the reunion (as early as you need to secure a facility) |
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the date a 'teaser' goes out letting members know that a reunion is coming
up and to watch for further details (from 8 to 12 months before the reunion) |
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the date the actual invitation to the reunion goes out (from 4 to 5 months
before the reunion) |
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the deadline you give your members to pay for the reunion (about 8 weeks
prior to the reunion) |
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the date of the reunion itself |
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The hardest thing for most reunion committees to recognize early on is the importance
of the date that the invitation goes out. Most of the decision_making and member
search must occur before you can send an invitation. You need prices, vendors and a
budget before you can determine a ticket price, and you need to put a ticket price in the invitation.
The invitation should go out at least four (4) months prior to the reunion, so you can't establish a date for the invitation to go out until you have chosen a date for the reunion. For some groups, the date may be entirely dependent upon what facilities are available. The larger your group, the earlier you'll have to choose a facility, because as group size increases, the number of facilities equipped to host large groups decreases. See how interconnected some of these reunion-planning decisions can be?
The biggest milestone for all reunions is the date that the invitation goes out and there's a lot to do before that time. The following is a list of some of the things that need to be done before you can send an invitation.
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Design an extraordinary reunion |
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Hold a budget meeting and determine ticket prices |
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Determine deadlines for reservation and payment |
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Finish the bulk of the member search |
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Determine plans for memorials and any special guests |
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Send a compelling invitation with a personal request to attend |
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I've seen some military reunions get started as much as five (5) years before the
event because it can be difficult to locate members who haven't been contacted in 50
years or more. I've also seen a surge in military reunions holding events in foreign
locales such as Normandy and Vietnam. Foreign travel requires more logistics and may
require more than a year to plan. Military reunions also tend to correspond with the
anniversaries of major historic events, so you may be competing with many other
reunions for lodging and meeting space.
Be aware of just how many other events you may be competing with for facilities. June
is the wedding month and many brides book their facilities a year or more in advance.
Corporate holiday parties have the edge on the big facilities during the months of
November and December. And, school schedules will affect whether or not your group
members can attend if they have children or grandchildren who will be attending important events such as graduation. If you need a large facility in which to gather or if you'll be traveling together, you may want to start making reservations a year or more in advance.
You may need to start organizing a committee as much as five (5) years before the event
if you're planning to take a large group overseas on one of the major upcoming
anniversary dates:
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60th anniversary of the end of WWII |
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50th anniversary of the end of the Korean War |
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30th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War |
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15th anniversary of the end of the first Gulf War |
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The earlier you can get started on your member search, the better. And, if you're
planning a reunion during of the major military anniversary years, make reservations
with facilities or travel companies very early.
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By Dina C. Carson
Dina C. Carson is the author of Reunion Solutions: Everything You Need to Plan an
Extraordinary Family, School, Military, Corporate or Association Reunion, available at
your local bookstore or at www.ReunionSolutions.com |
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