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Reunion
Research and Statistics
2007 Reunion magazine Reader Survey
Reunion planners
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How reunions plan and pay for their gatherings
In 2007 we surveyed about 4000 Reunions magazine readers who are individuals organizing their own reunions.
While we did not survey just for family reunions, almost 80% of responses came from family reunions.
The survey’s purpose was to learn more about how reunion organizers consider and select venues for their groups and how they pay for their reunions. The size of the reunions ranged from very small (1-25 persons) to over 200. 35.1% of respondents had reunions of 51-100 in attendance. Over 18% had 26-50 and 11% were 101-500. Significantly almost 20% of respondents had reunions of 200 attendees or larger. The largest reported reunion in the survey was a class reunion of 1,000 attendees.
Sixty eight percent (68%) started planning their reunions one year or longer ahead of the event including 21% who started two years in advance.
Establishing a reunion date is crucial before most other decisions are made. The further ahead this and the decision about where to have their reunion, the greater their chances are to 1) get exactly what and where they want it and 2) to negotiate better deals. We found that over 22% set the date two years in advance while over 50% set the date by one year ahead of the reunion.
The length of each reunion is arbitrarily set but more and more reunions are longer than a Sunday afternoon picnic in the park. Of our respondents, 46% reported their reunion lasts three days, while almost 20% meet for two days. Only 16% of respondents were meeting for the first time while 84% of the reunions have met before. The “age” of many family reunions were impressive numbers in the 30, 40 and 50 year range but the longest reunion had been going on for 125 years. While that is not a record, it is a testament to a strong and caring family.
When it came to the second most important issue to settle early: where to hold the reunion, over 68 % had their place chosen by one year before the reunion including almost 23% who know two years in advance. Of those, almost 74% go to a new location for each reunion though this may, in some cases, mean returning at intervals to a site where the ancestors originally settled or some place that has special family significance (often referred to as “the old home place”).
Making the choice of place, it turns out, is very equalitarian and democratic. Over 27% are chosen by members who volunteer to host the reunion and almost 15% are where the organizer lives. But an astounding almost 40% of locations are chosen with everyone voting on the choice. We included pulling the choice from a hat and only one response chose that level of surprise. But there are other choices, which include planning the reunion close to where the oldest family members live, decisions being made by committee or regional groups, alternating among the places where concentrations of members live or return to places they particularly liked for previous reunions.
The kind of location reunions choose are all over the map (both literally and figuratively). Urban and suburban locations account for 52% of all responses followed closely by 20% at rural locations. Other locations include the beach (17.5%), mountains (10.3%), theme parks (11.3%) and cruises (almost 14%). Still a popular location by comparison is someone’s backyard which garnered over 10%.
So given all those choices, we wanted to know where organizers seek help to make their location decisions and found that almost 25% used the services of convention and visitors bureaus (CVB) and of those overwhelmingly 82% reported they will work with a CVB again to plan a reunion. Half (50%) used the CVB to collect proposals from hotels for their reunions, the most common reason for contacting a CVB. But they provide contacts to almost all the services reunions look for and we wanted to know how many of those services reunions used. Two very popular CVB services which serve well to promote their city are providing materials to mail to members (almost 45%) and name tags and souvenirs for goody bags (almost 46%). Almost 34% sought referrals to caterers and 36% got referrals for tours. All the comments by reunion organizers who sought help from CVBs were very positive and praised the help they’d gotten.
Another aspect to the survey was to determine how much was spent on reunions but this is an inaccurate science in part because many people do not keep track of everything they spend so we estimate that most of these figures are under reported. The largest number (over 36%) estimated that their reunions cost from $1000 to $4999. Almost 19% spent from $5,000 to $9,999 while 15% reported paying $501 to $999. The variable effecting these answers is that most (over 57%) reunions charge for activities and meals and everyone pays their own lodging costs. 32% reported totaling all costs and dividing by the number present. Fundraising activities were the source of income for 24% , potluck for just over 10% and 5.6% had benefactors who paid or helped pay for the reunion.
Fees are by far the largest source of income, with 68.4% of reunions reporting using this method. Other sources include donations (45.5%), raffles (25.7%), souvenir sales (15.5%).
Some reunions are self contained and do everything themselves but many others contract for a variety of services. The services reunions contract are catering (69.1%), professional photography (47.4%) and videography (21.1%), tours (26.3%), buses (23%), florists (10.5%) and professional planners (5.9%). At the same time, we wanted to know what products are bought for reunions and found these; t-shirts/caps (78.4%), prizes (61.7%), buttons (11.4%) We also learned that 21.3% of reunions do custom publishing projects. These include membership directories (33.9%), postcards for reminders (23.7%), invitations and RSVPs (25.4%), cookbooks (23.7%), memory books (20.3%), family history (17%) and newsletters (22%).
Of reunions who used professional reunion or party planners or travel agents (11.6%) to help plan their reunion, 43.2% were satisfied and 42% would use their services again. Since the majority of respondents were family reunions these numbers hold true. But both class and military reunions are more inclined to use professional planners.
The demographics of persons responding to this survey bear out those of all previous surveys we have conducted. Most (87.4%) are female, 92% are over 30 with 54% over 50 years of age. Fifty percent of respondents were white, 43% were African American; others were mixed, Asian, Hispanic and Native American. Of these 25.1% are retired and 69% employed. Sixty six (66%) percent are married, almost 7% widowed and 35% single. Finally, 12% of respondents had incomes under $25,000 but 16.6% have incomes over $100,000 while the rest are very evenly divided among incomes from $25,000 to $100,000.
Reunion organizers are a passionate group who are dedicated to their families and reunion groups but are from all areas and segments of society. Their single similarity is their concern for keeping their families in touch and connected.
If you have any questions about this survey, contact Edith Wagner, editor, Reunions magazine
reunions@execpc.com, or 414-263-4567, ext. 6. |
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| 2004/2005 Reunion expenditure survey |
The list of reunion planners are Reunions magazine readers all of whom were selected at random.
Ten percent of survey respondents (+ or – 3.7%) have had family reunions for 50 years or more: When evaluating percentile ranks, those in the ninety first percentile have held 50 reunions. That means that, in terms of number of reunions held by the family, the top ten percent of respondents have had 50 reunions or more. In fact, seven and one half percent of respondents have held family reunions for 75 years or more. And one percent of respondents have held family reunions for over one hundred years.
Thirteen percent of all reunion respondents hold large reunions (i.e. over 150 people). Large reunions spend big, too. As expected, size of reunion and average expenditures are related. And, in fact, many large reunions get by with less: spending less than fifty dollars per person. However, large reunions also appear just as likely to have high expenditures (i.e. over $400 per person) as small reunions. So, a large reunion is just as likely to have high expenditures as a small reunion. The level of significance is .04.
Thirty eight percent of respondents hold family reunions every year. Interestingly, these reunion planners appear to be wiser, as well. Because they also spend less: Sixty one percent of those holding family reunions every year spend less than one hundred dollars per person. For everything!
An additional 31% of respondents hold reunions every other year. As a result, nearly 70% of respondents hold a family reunion at least every 24 months.
Minority respondents spend more on their reunions than white respondents. Black, Hispanic and Asian family reunions have higher expenses per person than white family reunions. This result is statistically significant at the .01 level.
As reunion planners get older, they spend less on reunions: Utilizing a variety of tests, average expenditures are significantly lower among older respondents. (Or if you want to spin it the other way, expenditures are significantly higher among younger respondents.)
Based on survey respondents, a “typical small reunion” costs $100/person. It is held every 1.5 years. And about 50 people attend. That means that the “typical small reunion” is worth $50,000 in consumer expenditures over a fifteen year period.
In addition, 50% of those who hold a reunion every year also have over 150 attendees. Every year. That means a “typical large reunion” is worth $15,000 per year in consumer expenditures (based on $100/person). Every year. That’s over $225,000 over a fifteen year period.
Finally, super reunions are a bonanza. Super reunions have over 1,000 attendees. Based on respondent data, we estimate that with an average expenditure of $100 per person, a super reunion of 1,000 people will generate $100,000 in consumer expenditures. We also estimate, based on survey data, that such a reunion will generate $1,500,000 in consumer expenditures over a fifteen year period.
©2005 Reunions magazine, Inc. |
Survey
finds structure and planning are keys to happy family reunions
by Laurence A. Basirico, PhD
What could be better than spending a day with your
closest family members a few times a year with nothing to do except
relax and reminisce? Well, how about 4 days or more of planned
activities with your extended family every 10 years or so? This
survey sponsored by Reunions magazine and Elon University,
Elon, North Carolina, found that family members are more satisfied
when their reunions are structured, organized, well planned, larger,
longer-lasting and less frequent. Of all these characteristics
though, the real keys to success are structure, organization and
planning.
How the research began
The survey that yielded these conclusions is part of an
ongoing research project about family reunions that I began about
five years ago. My interest in family reunions is both personal
and professional. I have attended and observed my own family’s
reunions -– parents, siblings, spouses and children -–
for nearly twenty years. My initial research was based on observations
of and personal reflections about my family’s reunions, discussions
with about 50 others about their family reunions, and my sociological
knowledge about human interaction. Hoping to broaden my understanding,
I developed a survey for Reunions magazine and sent it
to a random sample of 2,000 reunion organizers/readers.
What the research is about The main purpose of my research is to examine relationships
at family reunions. Simply, how well do family members get along
with each other and enjoy their reunions? In addition to answering
basic questions about reunion facts (who, where, how often, how
they are organized), respondents were asked how personally satisfied
they were at the end of their last reunion, how satisfied they
thought other family members were, how well family members got
along with each other, and questions that comprised a “relationship
index.” I developed the relationship index to get a better
sense of how well relationships work at family reunions. The index
included eight questions about things such as decision-making
at the reunion, tolerance and acceptance of one another’s
behaviors and lifestyles, and the extent to which any serious
conflicts occurred. Besides exploring quality of relationships,
I wanted to look at relationships that worked best and find out
what happened at those reunions so we could learn from them.
How people felt about their most recent reunion
The survey found that people are generally happy with how
their reunions work out. Seventy-three percent said most family
members were very satisfied at the end of the reunion, 69% said
they were personally very satisfied, and 72% felt family members
got along extremely well. That’s very encouraging news, but
it still leaves about 30% of families who could learn a thing
or two to have a better time with each other at their reunions.
For the “relationship index,” respondents were
asked to indicate how much they agreed or disagreed with eight
statements about the way people behaved toward one another. Each
statement was framed as a positive relationship. These included
statements such as “There was respect for one another’s
rules for daily living,” “There was tolerance of each
other’s views on controversial issues,” “People
avoided engaging in objectionable or offensive behavior”
and five others. While most respondents agreed with each of the
statements in the index, only 17% to 37% strongly agreed with
the eight statements. That leaves more than 60% of respondents
indicating there is room for improvement. One respondent wrote,
“I look forward to our reunion all year. We love each other
dearly and everyone gets along great, but there are those occasional
tense moments.”
The evidence is clear. People generally have a good time
at their reunions and get along well with each other. Yet the
survey shows there is a substantial percentage who say things
aren’t the best they could be. What, then, can be done to
make your good time even better? What’s going on at the most
successful reunions that make them work so well, and what can
we learn from them so every reunion works as well?
What leads to the best relationships at family reunions?
While the research is in its early stages, most of the
results and interviews so far suggest that structure, organization
and planning are keys to success at family reunions. Eighty-four
percent of respondents who reported the highest levels of satisfaction
for family members has reunions with a great deal of structure
and organization. Only 53% who said there was practically none.
Further, 86% of those families who did a great deal of planning
reported high levels of satisfaction, whereas only 56% of those
families who did very little planning experience high levels of
satisfaction.
The highest
levels of satisfaction were reported by families who have reunions:
– less often (82% of those who hold reunions every 10 year
or more are most satisfied, compared with 67% of those who hold
a reunion once a year or more);
– that are larger (86% of those with 100 people or more are
most satisfied, compared with 47% of those with 30 or fewer people);
– that last longer (83% of those attending reunions that
last four days or more are most satisfied, compared with 42% of
those attending reunions that last less than a half day).
In addition, 97% of those who attended a reunion of their
extended family (grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins) said family
members got along extremely well as compared with 82% of those
who attended reunions of their family of origin only (parents
and siblings). It appears that people seem to fare better at the
larger reunions rather than when they attend with the people to
whom they may be the closest emotionally or with whom they have
the most contact.
But before you decide to hold infrequent, large, long-lasting
reunions with your extended family, thinking that these things
alone are the keys to success, consider this vitally important
survey result: Reunions that are held less frequently, are larger,
last longer, and are attended by extended families are the very
ones that are more structured and well planned! In other words,
if you take away the structure, organization and planning, the
other characteristics have no real effect on the outcome. The
reason those reunions work better is because they are more organized
and planned.
One
respondent who boasted about good times at her reunion of over
100 cousins spanning three generations wrote, “We plan and
plan and plan and plan. Then we plan some more. We only see each
other every few years and I can’t imagine getting together
with this many people without having some sort of schedule. But
it’s worth it.”
Furthermore, the survey found the greater the level of
“clear and organized decision making” (certainly a by-product
of good organization and planning) at the reunion, the higher
the level of family member and respondent satisfaction, and the
higher number reporting that family members got along well with
each other. As one interviewee, whose family tends to have more
informal reunions, told me, “No one can make up their mind
about anything. What to do, when to eat ... what to eat. I wish
someone would just take charge.” While no one is suggesting
they want their reunion to resemble military boot camp, people
like to know how things are being decided and that someone is
taking responsibility.
To some, the idea of a highly structured, organized and
planned gathering might seem better suited for a business meeting
or a summer camp than a family gathering. However, the survey
respondents and people I interviewed who had the most successful
relationships at their reunions said those reunions were the most
planned and organized. And those who said that their reunions
lacked any real planning or structure were the ones who spoke
most frequently of tense moments and uncomfortable situations.
Ironically, reunion success does not always have to do
with how close a family is. “All you need is love” may
be a good slogan for the long term, but as far as family reunions
go, love is not enough. Structure, organization and planning are
the key ingredients to successful reunion relationships among
family members.
Who answered the survey?
568 (28% of those to whom it was sent) people from across the
United States answered the survey. Here is a little bit about
who they are:
• Race: white (73%), African American (24%), other races
(4%)
• Gender: female (78%), male (23%)
• Marital status: married (74%), single (10%), divorced or
separated (9%), widowed (7%)
• How often they have reunions: once a year or more (47%),
every few years (28%), every 5 to 10 years (9%), every 10 years
or more (15%)
Some facts about the respondents’ most recent reunions
• How many people attended: less than 30 (14%), 31 to 50
people (26%), 51 to 100 (40%), over 100 (21%)
• Who attended: family of origin only (5%), family of origin
plus their siblings’ married families (17%), extended family
(family of origin, siblings’ families, grandparents, aunts/uncles,
cousins) (77%)
• Length of time since previous reunion: less than a year
(14%), around a year (41%), a few years (23%), 5 to 10 years (9%),
more than 10 years (13%)
• Where the reunion was held: home of a family member (18%),
hotel (23%), park (20%), resort (5%), beach (3%), mountains (3%),
camping (2%), various other places (town hall, country club, church,
church camp, catering hall recreation center, community center,
a ranch, a cruise) (26%)
• How long it lasted: a few hours (7%), half to a full day
(34%), 2 to 3 days (48%), 4 to 7 days (10%), more than 7 days
(1%)
• Main purpose: to celebrate a recurring family event such
as a birthday or anniversary (3%), to celebrate a holiday (4%),
to pay tribute to a unique family event such as a graduation,
wedding, funeral (4%), to get reacquainted with one another (45%),
to celebrate family roots and traditions (39%)
• How much planning took place before the reunion: a great
deal (34%), a moderate amount (34%), very little (32%)
• How structured and organized (in terms of planned activities)
the reunion was: a great deal of structure and organization (28%),
some (51%), practically none (21%)
About the author
Larry Basirico is a sociology professor at Elon University,
Elon, North Carolina. He has been doing research about relationships
at family reunions for over five years. He has presented his work
at national conferences and the National Social Science Review,
and is currently working on a book.
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Family
Reunion Research Project:
Call for Participants
Dr. Stephen Criswell, a folklorist and professor of English
at Benedict College in Columbia, SC, is conducting a study of
African American family reunions. This study, funded by the National
Endowment for the Humanities, will examine the origins, development,
and significance of these family celebrations.
Dr. Criswell is seeking individuals and families to participate
in this study. Volunteers will be interviewed about their family
reunions and should allow Dr. Criswell and his assistants to observe
and document their reunions. In exchange for their participation,
interviewees and their family members will have access to all
documents (including videotapes, photograph, and interview tapes)
regarding their family reunions.
If
you would like to participate in this project, please contact
Dr. Criswell at 803-253-5221, secriswell@hotmail.com,
or write to Department of English, Benedict College, 1600 Harden
Street, Columbia, SC 29204.
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Dr. Joel Goldblatt, CSEP at Temple University has studied the impact of reunions on the places where they meet. This is important data that can help reunion organizers make their point when they negotiate hotel prices and other considerations and for others to realize that reunions are a significant player in the hospitality industry.
His research was presented at the 16th Annual National Family Reunion Conference (March 2007): Measuring ROE: The Value of your Family Reunion Event
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Reunions
under the microscope
Larry Basirico, PhD, a sociology professor at Elon University,
Elon, North Carolina, has been researching relationships at family
reunions for over five years. Dr. Basirico did a survey co-sponsored
by Reunions magazine, that found family members are more
satisfied when reunions are structured, organized, well planned,
larger, longer-lasting and less frequent. Of all these characteristics,
though, the real keys to success are structure, organization and
planning.
Two thousand randomly selected Reunions magazine readers
received Dr. Basirico's questionnaire. An overwhelming 568 people
(28%) from across the country returned not only surveys but lots
of other reunion information.
The survey found that people are generally happy with how
their reunions work out. Seventy-three percent said most family
members were very satisfied at the end of the reunion, 69% said
they were personally very satisfied, and 72% felt family members
got along extremely well. That's very encouraging news, but it still
leaves about 30% of families who could learn a thing or two to have
a better time with each other at their reunions.
The main purpose for holding a reunion for 45% of respondents
was to get reacquainted with one another followed closely by 39%
who said they got together to celebrate family roots and traditions.
Other reasons (11%) were to celebrate a recurring family event such
as a birthday or anniversary or holiday or to to pay tribute to
a unique family event such as a graduation, wedding, memorial service.
To some, the idea of a highly structured, organized and planned
gathering might seem better suited for a business meeting or summer
camp than a family gathering. However, survey respondents and people
interviewed who had the most successful relationships at their reunions
said those reunions were well planned and organized. And those who
said their reunions lacked any real planning or structure were the
ones who spoke most frequently of tense moments and uncomfortable
situations.
Ironically, reunion success does not always have to do with
how close a family is. "All you need is love" may be a
good slogan for the long term, but as far as family reunions go,
love is not enough. Structure, organization and planning are the
important ingredients to successful reunion relationships among
family members.
The evidence is clear. People generally have a good time
at reunions and get along well with each other. Yet the survey shows
there are some who say things aren't the best they could be. What,
then, can be done to make your good time even better? What's going
on at the most successful reunions that make them work so well?
And what can we learn from them so every reunion works as well?
These and many other questions are answered in Reunions magazine, at www.reunionsmag.com, including podcasts, streaming videos and a forum for sharing.
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