About Alumni
Get Involved
Alumni Benefits & Services
- > About the University
- > Research
- > Faculties
- > Library
- > IT Services
- > News
- > Events @ UOW
Event Plan
When
Ensure you allow yourself an appropriate lead time to organise your event. If you are planning a large reunion it is acceptable to start planning your event a year in advance.
By planning your event in advance you allow individuals time to plan ahead if attending from interstate or overseas. This also allows time for the UOW Alumni Relations team to assist you with your reunion.
When selecting a date and time it is important to consider public holidays and other events coinciding with your reunion, as well as whether your event should be a on a weekday or weekend.
Location
When selecting the location for your event you can choose to host your event close to or at the University, for example a Return to Wollongong Reunion. However often the geographic location of the majority of alumni will determine where the reunion is held.
Ensure the venue selected is affordable and suitable for your target market, often a conservative venue is the most appropriate choice as it allows you to spend money on other aspects that will enhance your event.
When selecting a location and venue consider;
- Parking and public transport options (including disabled options)
- Accommodation available
- Facilities available at the venue e.g lectern, audio system
Style of the function
It is important to know what type of event will suit your audience
- Formal or informal event
- Cocktail function or sit down dinner
- Guest speaker
- All weekend event with the inclusion of activities
- Inclusion of formalities, including MC and speeches
Once the event details have been confirmed, it is important that approaches to guest speakers be made. This needs to be done well in advance. Things to consider include:
- What topic/s should the speaker talk about?
- Will the speaker/s charge a fee?
- Are they an overseas or high profile speaker who need their accommodation and transport covered?
- Is there anyone from the University that could be approached to speak?
- Consider past UOW lecturers. It is best to contact the relevant faculty for this information.
Budget
When preparing your budget consider your anticipated costs. We suggest that you over-budget (only a small margin) to cover any unforseen cost (events should breakeven). Consider your expected attendance numbers as this will determine the cost per head and ticketing price. By keeping costs to a minimum this will ensure the reunion will remain affordable for your guests.
Income
- Ticket sales
- Other funding - support from faculties or Alumni Development Group (ADG). For full details on applying for funding from the ADG please refer to Section 5 of the Alumni Network Handbook
Expenditure
- Venue
- Catering
- Entertainment
- Photographer
Invitations
When designing your invitations include the following essential information;
- What
- Where
- When
- Time
- Dress code
- Reunion organiser’s name
- RSVP date and payment required (could provide an RSVP slip to obtain their update-to-date contact details and the name of their guest).
A cost effective method for sending out invitations is via email. The UOW Alumni Relations Office will happily distribute email invitations on your behalf. Should you choose to mail your invitations we can also assist you with this (see Section 6 - Support from the UOW Alumni Relations Office).
IMPORTANT: The reunion organiser must keep a record of any rsvp’s and contact detail changes and forward these details to the UOW Alumni Relations Office for database updating.