Organising reunions
Organising reunions is a rewarding and enjoyable process – but you may need support to do it. We can help you to arrange a reunion or networking event with other Sheffield Hallam graduates from your course, region or profession.
Whether you want to organise a formal dinner or a few drinks at the pub, we can assist you in making your reunion an occasion to remember – wherever you are in the world. Take a look at the ways we can help you below.
Invitations
We can contact Sheffield Hallam graduates on your behalf by sending invitations or letters to former students on our alumni database by post or email. Please note that data protection restrictions prevent us from giving you their addresses. Simply tell us who you'd like to contact, send us an invitation or letter to copy with your reply address and we'll take care of the mailing and postage costs (subject to numbers).
Venues and accommodation
If you plan to hold your reunion in Sheffield, you could choose from the University's range of venues and facilities at Collegiate Crescent and City Campus or consider staying in our cost effective halls of residence. Alumni are also entitled to discounted hotel rates with selected local hotels.
Promotion
As well as contacting your guests, we can list your event on the alumni website to encourage more people to attend. After the event, you can share your memories by sending us your reunion photos and a brief account to include in our past events and reunions section. This can help to encourage more people to attend your future events and inspire others to start their own groups.
Event checklist
Before you start planning your event, there are a number of questions you should ask yourself. Use our ten-step event checklist below to make sure you've remembered everything.
- Who is organising the event? It could be useful to create a group of people to share the ideas and the event planning. Don't forget the Alumni Connect team can also help you.
- Who do you want to invite? Think about how many people you want to attend – whether it's the whole year group, a specific course group or a selected list. You may need to consider whether partners can be invited.
- What type of venue would suit the number and age of your guests? Think about places you may have visited together during your time at university. Remember that most people will want to talk and catch up so a noisy environment may put them off.
- When would be the best time for your event to take place? Choose an appropriate date and time for your guests. At busy times of the year such as Christmas, calendars can get booked up early.
- Do you need to arrange food, drink and entertainment? This may be something that the venue can help you with – but it could add an extra cost.
- Will you ask guests to buy tickets in advance or pay for themselves at the event? If you are paying for your venue, you may like to charge your guests for tickets to the event. Consider how much people may be willing to pay.
- How formal should the invitation be, and how should it be sent? We can help to send your invitations by post or email but you may like to consider a more formal method by producing your own cards.
- How far in advance should invitations be sent? Make sure you give your guests plenty of notice and provide an RSVP date.
- Where should replies (and payment) be sent? Don't forget to let your guests know how to reply.
- Is accommodation required? We can help you to find appropriate accommodation for your guests in Sheffield. Alumni are entitled to discounted hotel rates with selected local hotels. Why not relive your student days by staying on campus or in our halls of residence?
For further details about the help and advice we can offer or to discuss your reunion in more detail, please contact the Alumni Connect team.
