College reunions may not be the same as 20 years ago, with the ability to catch up on social networking sites like Facebook, but there is nothing like getting everybody back together for an evening of reminiscing. Plan some activities beforehand so that you are prepared to keep everybody engaged and entertained. If you are putting together a college reunion, here are some ideas to help bring fond memories flooding back and make your night a smash success.
Nostalgic Music
Start by setting the mood at your college reunion by playing music from the year of your graduating class. A quick look at websites like Billboard.com will give you lists of popular music by week, month and year for any year in music. For an extra nostalgic touch to get everyone remembering the good old days, categorize your playlists in chronological order by date of release. It will be just like when you heard them playing for the first time on the radio.
Graduation Year Slideshow
Photo slideshows of classmates have always been popular at graduations and reunions, but you can run into problems when you do not have photos of everybody and some people are left out. Instead of a traditional photo slideshow, try a slideshow of events, products and media from the year you graduated. Check newspaper archives for that year to refresh your memory of important events, then add headlines and photos to your slideshow for a trip down memory lane. Look for photos of products and stills from old TV commercials; for example, if your class graduated in the 1980s you could include a photo of a Sony Walkman and if you graduated in the 1990s swap that out for a Discman.
Awards Ceremony/Superlatives
Everyone remembers superlatives from college so why not bring them back for your reunion, but with a little twist. Instead of comparing how people measure up to the superlative nominations they received in college, come up with superlatives relevant to today and get everybody to vote on anonymous cards at the beginning of the reunion. Use fun superlatives like Best Dressed or Most Creative Success and nominate classmates accordingly. At the end of the reunion, tally all of the votes and perform a small awards ceremony.
Reunion T-Shirts and Gear
Souvenirs are possibly one of the best ways to help your classmates remember the fun of your college reunion. Web sites like customink.com let you custom design reunion gear like t-shirts, hoodies and drinking gear, like mugs and shot glasses, with your school logo, reunion slogan, class year and more. Send out a list of available gear with the invitations to your reunion so your classmates can order ahead of time, but also provide a way for them to order online at the reunion so that you will not be the one in charge of payment and shipping.
Related Articles
References
Writer Bio
Carrieanne Larmore has been a professional writer since 2004, mainly writing marketing studies, business plans and research papers. She has held management and executive positions in multimillion-dollar corporations within the United States and Canada, created the E-Commerce Business Journal, and founded Royal Summit Consulting Inc. Larmore holds a Master of Business Administration in entrepreneurship, plus a bachelor's degree in finance and management.