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This is a collaborative post.
Family reunions are great for catching up with relatives that you probably haven’t seen for a long time or some you even haven’t met yet. Especially if it’s a long-lost relative who perhaps came into your life unexpectedly, or maybe you found them using tracing agents. However, with members living in different places, it may be hard to get together often. So, meeting each other now and then is something to look forward to. Pulling up this type of event can be challenging, but it’s nothing that proper planning cannot do.
Plan ahead of time
Planning a family reunion requires plenty of preparation time, especially if many people are coming from different places. So, plan in advance to have ample time to take care of every detail of the event. Come up with three options for the reunion date, time, and location, and send a survey to determine what most of the members would like.
Create a planning committee
This kind of big event is not a one-man responsibility. Instead, delegate the tasks and appoint a planning committee. For example, you may appoint someone to collect donations, prepare the food and venue, plan the activities, etc. It will be easier and more organised if you do it this way.
Think of something different
If you regularly have a family reunion, like every one or two years, planning something different from the previous ones can make the gathering more exciting. For instance, if you didn’t have a theme before, you can have that on your next get-together. If you always had it in the same place, look for another location for the event. There are party houses to rent where you can have a fabulous family reunion. There are those that are big enough to accommodate a huge group. Plus, you don’t have to worry about the noise you’ll make during the event since these properties are exclusive and far from other houses.
Be transparent with the budget
You’ll need money for the event, so compute everything you need to prepare. Unless well-off relatives volunteer to shoulder the costs, members need to chip in to pull it off. Communicate the needed budget to the members to determine how much each family should contribute.
Send the invites as soon as possible
Once the schedule and venue are settled, send the invitations and request them to confirm if they are coming. The earlier you send it, the better because it gives them plenty of time to fix their schedule and make it work for the event. It increases the chance of more members attending.
Plan fun activities for everyone
Since it’s a family reunion, there will be people of all ages, from youngsters to seniors. Plan various activities that everyone can enjoy and will also encourage interaction with each other. Having a photo booth is an example. Many people love their photos being taken. The pictures will also serve as memories for the family reunion.
Ensure that you have a backup plan. No matter how you prepare, there’s always a possibility that things may not work as planned. So, prepare a plan B to ensure the event will push through.