While there are many things you should take into consideration when planning a family reunion, this is a compilation of the ten most relevant factors that need to be planned and settled in order to have a successful family reunion.
The first and perhaps the most important thing to consider is communication. Make sure that your family knows there will be a reunion. If nobody knows you are having a party, why are they going to show up to participate? While this may seem painfully obvious to some people, believe it or not, it is often overlooked. Whether this is done in the form of invitations, phone calls or simply by word of mouth, your family should be informed.
The second thing to consider is a suitable location for the reunion. This may be as simple as a gathering in the back yard or it may involve renting a large facility. Different factors including the number of people that are expected to participate will be a deciding factor in this.
The third factor to be taken into consideration should be lodging for your guests. Perhaps there are numerous family members locally, but a few will be coming in from a great distance. Arrange for their lodging beforehand. If many people are coming in from out of town and not many family members live in the area of the reunion, then other arrangements may have to be made.
The fourth factor is food. Do any of the family members have special dietary needs or requirements that will require separate efforts? Knowing this in advance can save last minute problems that may hamper their enjoyment of the reunion.
The fifth factor is entertainment. Is there going to be any entertainment available? What types of entertainment will be appropriate for all of the family members who will be attending? Will there be more than one entertainer at the family reunion?
The sixth factor is an appropriate recording of the family reunion. A cameraman can often be hired at a reasonable price in order to record the event. Usually a discount price is available when the cameraman has the option of selling packaged sets to a number of people, such as at a family reunion. By offering this service, you will alleviate the need for people to worry about their own photos and remembrances. While most people will still bring cameras of one sort or another, this is a nice option to provide.
The seventh most important consideration should be weather. While this is not an issue if there will be an indoor venue, an outdoor affair could be made or broken by the appearance of any type of weather.
The eighth factor that should be considered is whether or not there will be any group activities for the family to participate in. Whether as individuals or in a group, during a reunion of any length (Where family members will actually be staying for more than one day) it will be nice to be able to provide them with a list of activities they can participate in locally.
The ninth factor is scheduling. While this can be applied to any individual aspect, the scheduling is very important for the overall event as well. Making sure certain foods are prepared at certain times, certain activities will not conflict with others, and making sure that everything is planned in order to avoid as much conflict as is possible within the realms of planning.
The tenth factor, while last on this list is also very important. Cost is an intimidating factor in any event. In the case of a family reunion, that cost can usually be shared by the individuals participating in the event.
Creating a successful family reunion can be done easily enough. The success of the reunion will depend on your priority in the determining factors. If you plan and coordinate the family reunion carefully, you will be the pride of your family for years to come.