Reunions
Organising your reunion
Organising your own reunion is a great opportunity to reconnect with old friends, make new professional contacts or celebrate a milestone anniversary.
How the UWE Bristol Alumni Team can help
We can contact fellow alumni. We hold a database of our alumni who have kept in touch. Due to the Data Protection Act, we are unable to share contact details, but we can contact people on your behalf.
We can also:
- book venues on campus
- publicise your event as part of our alumni events and opportunities
- book campus tours
- provide guest badges
- provide maps and directions.
Find your friends
If you’d just like to contact people from University who you have lost contact with, we may be able to help you find your friends.
Find your friendsWhat to consider at the start of your planning
Choosing a date
You may wish to hold your reunion on an anniversary or have it on the same day as a special local event (such as a festival or sports match). You will also need to consider term dates and public holidays, as well as how much notice your guests will need.
Please be aware of the University's term dates, including Open Days, particularly if you want to meet on campus or have a campus tour.
Invitations
Who would you like to invite to your reunion? Is this a course group? Or it could be a club/halls reunion? Do you want to invite partners?
Once this is decided, contact us and we can advise on how many of your target group we may be able to contact. We can search for alumni using the following criteria:
- first name
- surname
- year of graduation
- subject of study
- campus.
Timeline
We suggest that you start planning six months to a year in advance of your event. Take a look at our example reunion event timeline and checklist.
Venue
We would love it if you chose to have your reunion on campus. The benefits of having the reunion on campus means that we can provide you with free or discounted venues, as well as providing University tours to show you our new campus developments.
If you’d like to have your event off-campus, some recommended venues include:
Event promotion
The sooner you let people know the date the more likely they are to attend. Get the date in people’s diaries as soon as you can by sending out a ‘save the date’ invite. Your ‘save the date’ should include your contact details so you can manage any replies.
Cost
Please note: the Alumni Team are unable to subsidise or provide funds for reunion events.
Other things to consider for your reunion
Photographer
A camera is a must for any reunion! You can make use of our talented students and enlist the help of our student photography society. Please note that the cost will vary depending on the photographer.
Don’t forget to get a group photo and to get permission from attendees for photos to be shared.
Entertainment and speakers
Entertainment may or may not be right depending on the type of event you choose. If you want an academic to speak, for example, we can help with putting you in contact.
Current student societies may also be able to perform at your event.
Materials needed
It might be nice to get UWE Bristol promotional merchandise for all attendees of your reunion. Look at the online shop run by The Students' Union at UWE for ideas.
Accommodation
Bristol has plenty of great hotels and places to stay, but if you’re unsure of where to start you can view our recommended accommodation options.
Wrapping it up after your reunion
Message to thank attendees
It is important that you thank your guests for coming to the event – we can help circulate a thank you email or letter on your behalf.
Share photos
Share your photos on social media, tagging UWE Bristol. You can also send your photos to us alumni@uwe.ac.uk we'd love to see them!
Feedback to the Alumni Team
We’d love to hear feedback about your experience from you and your guests, so please contact us. This will help us to improve the reunion service.
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