Things to Do at Class Reunion Banquets

The class reunion is a time when former classmates gather to catch up on life since graduation when so many people lose touch. Often, a reunion involves a banquet that serves as a main event to a single night’s celebration or the pinnacle of a weekend-long gathering. Having some fun, memory-invoking activities planned for the banquet will keep it from becoming too stuffy and will encourage people to laugh, cry and remember all the best things about the past.

Yearbook Slide Show

With the available computer technology today, there is no excuse not to have a professional-looking edited video slide show during the class reunion banquet. This project can be time consuming, but it will be one of the highlights of the event if done correctly.

Preparation should begin far in advance. Begin soliciting classmates for copies of old photos and for a recent portrait photo to add to the project months or even a year in advance. By the time you are ready to put it together, you will likely have enough material to scan and edit a 10- to 15-minute DVD that people may even want to buy. This DVD can be a grand finale of a banquet or the first thing people see to kick off the evening. Pace the slide show so that no photo stays on the screen too long, and the background music should fit the images and be consistent with the era the class graduated.

Although it may be sad, classmates may also appreciate a slide show of photographs of the classmates who have passed away since graduation. Unfortunately, there are always a few to add to this list.

Class Photograph

Do not let the crowd disperse before announcing the need for a class photograph. Try to get as many people as possible to gather for one group shot that you can email to all those in attendance in the coming days.

This photograph will vary in appearance based on the type of reunion. A 10-year reunion is often a party atmosphere, and the photo may be casual and silly, but a 50-year reunion may be more of a formal occasion set up like a standard group photo.

Awards Ceremony

Plan an awards ceremony to take place just after dinner, perhaps during drinks and desserts to recognize some of the accomplishments of the classmates over the years. These types of awards should be fun for the attendees and sincere in some cases and silly in others. However, this is not the time to embarrass anyone.

Create fitting awards such as the Make-A-Difference Award if someone in the class has done a great deal of charity work. Give the Traveler Award to the person who has lived in the most places or who traveled the farthest from home to attend the reunion. Give the Fertility Award to the classmate who has given birth to or fathered the most kids. There always seems to be at least one who ends up with eight or 10 kids.

Only your imagination limits the possibilities for an awards ceremony. This portion of the program will lighten the mood and get people laughing as the event winds down.

References

• Wondershare: Make High School Reunion Slideshow to Cherish Memories
• Reunion Location: Unique Ideas for Your Class Reunion