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WRAPPING UP YOUR REUNION
Starting your next reunion!!
Evaluations, closing the books, collecting ideas, suggestions, desires of reunion members for future meetings are all necessary to complete your reunion.
Wrap-up is the last stage of your reunion. Ask for feedback. You always want ideas for your next reunion. Send news releases to the hometowns of individuals who received awards or special recognition during the reunion. Everyone likes to see their name in print. Write thank you notes.
A crucial final step to all reunions is an honest, objective evaluation. Be sensitive and alert during the reunion; evaluation results should confirm what you expect and observe.
While you’re still at your hotel or facility pay all your bills and return borrowed equipment. Before you leave the hotel make sure everything is okay. It’s much easier to solve problems in person than by letter and phone calls.
Collect all the data and information you can about the number of meals eaten in the hotel’s restaurant, from room service and number of rooms used by your group. This information is invaluable for negotiations to demonstrate the business and economic value of your next reunion. It is well worth the effort.
Tip the staff who deserve special consideration. Make it a point to write a letter to the hotel’s general manager and recognize employees — by name — who did an outstanding job.
All the information you collect (positive and negative) will help you plan future reunions. Each reunion presents new challenges, problems and successes. An evaluation prepares you with ideas and suggestions from members and your committee for the next reunion.
Remind everyone to share their opinions and observations each chance you get. Make it clear that the voice of members is important.
Evaluation
The purpose of an evaluation is to help improve your next reunion. Explain why an evaluation is important and how you will use advice. Be sincere about hearing what people have to say and tell them you want to know what they liked and disliked.
Get evaluations done on the spot. Collect them before members go home; it saves postage, information is still hot and anyone can write more — encourage them to do so. Include evaluations in your reunion packet or information.
Be thorough and do two evaluations — one for members and one for committee members who helped organize the reunion.
Keep it simple. Consider the questions and scoring system you’ll use. Cover basics. It is advisable to use a computer to analyze results for reunions over 100 people.
The evaluation form should be easy to complete and tabulate. Following are suggestions about what to include in your evaluation. Add questions which are specific to your reunion. Don’t get bogged down creating fancy scales. Use something simple like 1-5 ranking, with 1 as poor and 5 as outstanding. Also encourage narrative answers.
If you don’t evaluate at your reunion, mail evaluations after the reunion — and hope to get them back.
Personalize these suggestions to fit your needs.
How the Jenkins Family Reunion evaluates itself
Sandy Brass Jenkins reviewed the Jenkins Family Reunion and says that after all the hard work it is important to hear cheers and kudos along with constructive suggestions. The following is the result of a survey done at the Jenkins Family Reunion.
Question. What was the funniest thing you experienced at the reunion? Answers. The talent show. Singing “Happy Birthday” to Uncle James at the airport. Laughing, laughing, laughing. Little cousin Jamie “winning” the last musical chair from big Uncle Scott.
Question. What was your most exciting experience? Answers. That Uncle James and Aunt Jennie’s family came all the way from North Carolina to Phoenix. Flying in the airplane. Being excited; the anticipation of it all. Paper airplanes and water balloon fight.
Question. What was the most important thing you learned at the reunion? Answers. That my family is still more important than anything else. We can all be different and still love each other. Tribulation makes us strong and family ties are very important. The power we have when we work together as an extended family.
Question. What was the best part of the reunion? Answers. Being together, the blessings. Having fun. When Grandma and all the aunts, uncles and cousins played musical chairs. Loving. Going to church together, and meeting afterwards for pictures and family pictures.
Question. What could we do to bring our extended family closer together? Answers. Visit individual families more often and for at least a week! Keep the family letter going. Have more reunions. Start a kids’ family letter just for the third generation — on cassette tape or videos for those who don’t write yet. Exchange children during the summer.
The survey contained five questions, but there was a sixth answer recorded: “Meeting Jill. who was just a baby when we last saw her and now she’s — a person!” Isn’t that what family reunions are all about?
Finally, Beth Gay has it right. She suggests that you gather the committee while your feet still hurt. Talk about what went right and what didn’t. Take notes so that you will remember everything that was said and start planning your next reunion.
The Family Reunion Sourcebook©, by Edith Wagner
REUNION EVALUATION (click here for printer friendly form)
Introduce the evaluation and stress that opinions and ideas are important to help plan future reunions. Ask members to be candid. Stress that responses will be confidential. Tell them where to return completed evaluations.
1. Is this the first time you attended the __________________ Reunion? ___yes ___no
2. How did you get to the reunion? __Car ___Airplane ___Train ___Bus ___ Other_________________
3. Were the INSTRUCTIONS clear for getting to the:
A. City/location ___yes ___no
B. Hotel/lodging ___yes ___no
C. Reunion activities ___yes ___no
If not, please explain problems you had.
4. How convenient was the LOCATION for you? Circle one answer (1 is Not at all)
Not at all Okay Very convenient
1 2 3 4 5
5. How convenient was the DATE for you? Circle one answer
Not at all Okay Very convenient
1 2 3 4 5
6. Were fees for reunion registration and events affordable? Circle one answer
A. Registration fees were
Not at all Okay Very affordable
1 2 3 4 5
B. Reunion activity fees were
Not at all Okay Very affordable
1 2 3 4 5
7. What was the BEST ASPECT about the reunion for you?
8. What was the MOST DISAPPOINTING ASPECT of the reunion for you?
9. How likely are you to attend the next reunion? Circle one answer
Not at all Likely Very likely to come Of course
1 2 3 4 5
If you circled a 1-3, what would make you decide to come to the next reunion?
10. What ideas do you have for:
A. the next reunion location ______________________________
B. activities __________________________________________
C. ways to improve the reunion ________________________________
11. Please rank each of the following (Circle one answer):
(1 is Awful, 5 is Exceeded my expectations)
Awful Okay Exceeded my expectations
A. Room accommodations 1 2 3 4 5
B. Hotel services 1 2 3 4 5
C. Food
Quality 1 2 3 4 5
Portions 1 2 3 4 5
Variety 1 2 3 4 5
D. Reunion book 1 2 3 4 5
E. Reunion activities
Games 1 2 3 4 5
Tours 1 2 3 4 5
Speeches 1 2 3 4 5
Dances 1 2 3 4 5
Entertainment 1 2 3 4 5
(Continue your list here)
F. Reunion organization 1 2 3 4 5
G. Variety of things to do 1 2 3 4 5
H. Keepsakes/Memorabilia 1 2 3 4 5
12. How old are you?
_____0-12 ____13-19 _____20-30 ____31-45 _____46-64 ______65+
13. Are You ___ male ___ female
14. Would you be willing to help organize the next reunion?
___yes ____no ____maybe, call me
If your answer is yes or maybe, please complete the following
Name__________________________________________
Phone_________________________________________
Address___________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
15. Is there anyone else we should ask to help plan the next reunion?
Name__________________________________________
Phone_________________________________________
Address___________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
16. Other Comments:
Thanks for your time and thoughtful answer
Please return this to:________________________
The Family Reunion Sourcebook©, by Edith Wagner
Committee Evaluation (click here for printer friendly form)
The reunion chairman and committee members should answer some different questions. Evaluate staffing, organization, site selection, the decision-making process, coordination and supervision. Don’t forget to discuss budget, fiscal controls and procedures. This questionnaire should cover the following:
q Were working relationships supportive?
q Did we start early enough?
Were effective timelines set for completion of each important task?
q Was the event well publicized?
Were new members found and recognized?
q How did registration go?
Who attended? From where? Who did not attend? Why not? Compare with previous reunions. Are there trends?
q Were destination and location right? large enough?
Did we consider all functions thoroughly before the reunion and properly and adequately inform the hotel of all our requirements?
q Were room layouts for events and meetings adequate?
q Were we satisfied with audiovisual aids, seating, lights, etc?
q Was there good support from the facility’s departments: food and beverage, sales, reservations, front desk, bell service, etc?
q Was on-site supervision and day-to-day operations satisfactory?
q Did we have enough people to cover everything?
q Was our business meeting effective?
The Family Reunion Sourcebook©, by Edith Wagner
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