Q?
Kimberly Peterson wrote, “I am trying to set up my high school’s ten-year reunion and I don’t know where to start. I want to find the right company to do it but I am not sure I even know the right questions to ask. How can you tell good companies from bad? What can I expect a good company to do and for what price? Is there a good place look for this information?
A!
Paula Sheagley* responds. Start with your local school district(s). Call a high school and ask them which company(ies) are reputable and stay in good communication. Professional reunion planning companies should register each reunion with schools and operate on good working terms with the local school offices/alumni associations.
Ask for references from the company. Then, call the references. Ask references to be candid about the good and the “bad” of working with that company.
Look for a fair price. Expect the fee to include all catering costs, rentals, entertainment, optional memory book. Then expect approximately $20 to be added as over-head charges; labor, research, printing, phones and postage plus a little profit.
*About the expert
Paula Sheagley wrote many class reunion articles for Reunions magazine several years ago so we turn to her expertise when faced with class reunion dilemmas. She is the former owner of a reunion planning business in southern Colorado and was a charter member and past president of the National Association of Reunion Managers. Paula is presently the event coordinator and marketing representative for Holy Cross Abbey, home of Benedictine Monks in Canon City, Colorado, which she describes as “beautiful grounds with wonderful reunion and retreat facilities built around a turn-of-the century.”
