Cleveland Ohio CVB - Family Reunions Military Reunions

Cleveland Plus Reunion Planning Timeline

One year out:

Form a reunion planning committee to share responsibilities and generate ideas. You might consider appointing a chairperson (responsible for selecting the hotel and transportation by connecting with Positively Cleveland), co-chairperson (assists the chair and works on selecting activities, restaurants and souvenirs), secretary (researches and collects all family member contact information and sends out details of the event) and, if need be, a treasurer (collects money and makes all payments).
Locate addresses of potential reunion attendees.
Determine when you want to hold the reunion and how long you are going to stay. You may want to choose a back up date or dates because if you've inadvertently selected a date when a big event is taking place in town, rooms may be scarce and room rates may not meet your group's needs.
Figure out how many people could be coming and how many rooms you need. If you need to find accommodations for your entire group at the same location, a good estimate is necessary. Many hotels reserve blocks of rooms for you, but only for a limited period of time.
Settle on your price range for lodging. What do you think members of your group are willing to spend? Be sure to take into account where the hotel is located in relation to activities and restaurants and whether many extra travel costs (taxi service, rental cars, etc.) will be incurred.
Consider mailing a "Save the Date" postcard.

Six to eight months out:

Reserve a hotel room block.
Decide on group activities and menus and make reservations wherever possible.
Plan for transportation, if needed.
Send out invitations to potential attendees.
Contact all your attractions and transportation providers. Find out how much time to set aside for each activity, remembering to schedule in travel time and periods of rest. Find out the cost for each outing and ask about group discount rates.

Three months out:

Send detailed information to confirmed attendees. Let them know your itinerary, including meals planned (descriptions, times/dates, locations, approximate costs) and activities scheduled (descriptions, times/dates, locations, approximate costs) noting any discounts, child-friendly options, etc.
Order any materials like maps, postcards, t-shirts, hats, photo frames or key chains you want for goodie bags or giveaways. Order materials here.
Remind attendees to make their hotel reservations and any payments required. Six weeks to two months in advance: 1) Send out an activities chart and a map of the city, directions to the hotel and/or a hotel brochure. 2) Remind attendees of the 30-day cutoff to reserve rooms, make payments, etc.

Two weeks out:

During the reunion:

Set up a hospitality room where attendees can gather and sign up for activities and find out the latest information and updates.
Provide a welcome packet with a visitor's guide for each room.

After it's all over:

Sigh with relief. You made it!
Send a thank you letter and survey, asking family members to share their ideas for improvement and their favorite memory from the trip.
Let everyone share in the fun. Consider creating a simple website with photos from the event and some of the comments from the returned surveys.

Suggestions for Cleveland Reunion Activities: