Toolkit – Reunion
A reunion or an anniversary gives alumni the opportunity to meet, socialize and revive contact with former classmates, student life and their department or faculty. The reunion can be organised for an evening, a day or for an entire weekend in Uppsala, in another city in Sweden or even abroad.
Finding contact details for alumni can be challenging. The alumni team can assist in with names and e-mail addresses for alumni who graduated from the department or faculty in a particular year or have a degree from a specific programme. Contact the alumni team via email to info@alumni.uu.se.
Purpose and target groups
- That the department, the faculty, fosters the relationship with its alumni.
- To give students and alumni the opportunity to create valuable contacts.
- To give alumni the opportunity to reconnect with former classmates and their department or faculty.
- To give alumni the opportunity to network with professionals in their industry.
- To provide alumni with current information about education, research and innovation within the department and the faculty.
Suggestions for target groups to invite
- All alumni from the department or faculty.
- Alumni who graduated from the department or faculty, for example 10, 20, 30 or 40 years ago.
- Alumni who have studied a specific programme and who graduated the same year.
- Representatives of the department or faculty.
Suggested programme in uppsala
Suggested programme for an evening event
Reconnect to student life by organising a nostalgic traditional dinner at one of Uppsala's student nations or at Uppsala Castle. A less formal alternative is to meet up at a pub or at one of Uppsala's restaurants.
Suggested programe for day event
- Registration and joint breakfast for those who wish
- The reunion is opened with remarks by the head of the department or the dean of the faculty
- Activity (scroll down for suggestions)
- Grab and go lunch or lunch at one of the many campus restaurants
- Activity, alternative time for individual class activities
- Traditional dinner
Suggested programme for a weekend event
Friday evening
- Pre-mingle for those arriving in the evening. The mingle can, for example, be organised at a student nation or a restaurant that offers light refreshments. Use the Ouiz Toolkit as a social activity during the evening.
Saturday
- Registration and joint breakfast for those who wish
- The reunion is opened by the head of the department or the dean of the faculty
- Activity (scroll down for suggestions)
- Grab and go lunch or lunch at one of the many campus restaurants
- Activity, alternative time for individual class activities
- Traditional dinner
Sunday
- Brunch for those who wish
- Activity (scroll down for suggestions)
- Activity (scroll down for suggestions)
- The reunion is concluded with remarks by the head of the department or the dean of the faculty
- Grab and go lunch
Suggested activities
In Uppsala
Reconnect with the department or faculty
- Representatives of the department or faculty inform about news in research and education
- Guided Campus tour
- Visit to a laboratory
- Lecture on a current topic at the department or faculty
- Meet with former teachers
- Mingel with students
Relive culture, gardens and museums at the university
- Concert with The Royal Academic Orchestra
- Student spex
- Visits to one or more student nations
- Guided tour or visit to:
Suggested activites in another city
- Quiz about Uppsala University, Uppsala and Sweden
- Puzzle hunt race
- Representatives of the department or faculty inform about news in research and education
- Traditional dinner
- Visit to a local attraction
- Dinner at a restaurant
- Informal meet-up at a bar or pub
Material
- Event checklist Excel, 12 kB. (Excel)
- Instragram banner (jpg)
- Facebook banner (jpg)
- Invitation template Powerpoint, 3 MB. (PowerPoint)
- Save-the-date template Powerpoint, 2 MB. (PowerPoint)
- Powerpoint template Powerpoint, 2 MB.
How to – traditional dinner
For nostalgia and to reconnect with student life during a reunion or an anniversary, suitable venues for a dinner in Uppsala are of course one of Uppsala's student nations or Uppsala Castle. All 13 student nations in Uppsala have banquet facilities and halls for large seating and rooms for smaller groups.
A traditional dinner begins with a pre-drink and mingle. Music in the background can be nice if the acoustics in the room allow and if the guests are many. Remember that a well-thought-out table placement is important for the atmosphere and well-being during the dinner. If you do not have a thank-you speaker and if you do not want to sing "O gamla klang och jubeltid" as the end of the dinner, it is good if the toastmaster announces that the dinner is coming to an end.
The dinner is followed by dancing. Also make sure that there are spaces where you can mingle and talk to each other without the music being too loud.
The coffee can be served in different ways. Discuss it with the restaurateur. If the dinner is long, it might be a good idea to have the thank you speech with the dessert and then break and serve the coffee in a connecting room. This way, guests get a chance to stand or sit where they want and talk to each other in small groups.
If the reunion is organised outside of Uppsala, the dinner can be arranged in a party room or at a restaurant.
At the beginning of planning the event, appoint
- Host or hostess
- Songmaster
- Toastmaster
- Thank you speaker
Suggested programme
- Bench (everyone sits down at the table) on the host's or hostess' speech
- Logistical welcome speech with information about emergency exits, where the toilets are and if there is a break included in the program for the sitting
- Serving of schnapps, or other drink for starters
- At snaps: the songmaster leads the first song
- Cheers and welcome (host or hostess)
- The starter is eaten
- Space for speeches and entertainment
- The table is cleared of the starter (possibility of break)
- Serving drinks for main course
- Welcome speech (host or hostess)
- Serving the main course, possibly refilling drinks
- The main course is eaten
- Space for speeches or entertainment
- Opportunity for a break
- Bench after the break
- Serving the dessert (if it is not served)
- Serving dessert drinks
- Opportunity for speeches or entertainment
- Serving coffee with any avec
- Thank you speech
- Song: O gamla klang och jubeltid