OT: Ticket prices for HS Reunion

[kamik86]

Honestly I think its way to high but I am not in a High cost area. There is no where I would go out to dinner and spend $75 a person and if there was I wouldn't want to.

Then again I also hated high school and probably wouldn't go even if it was for free.

 

[BBandDisney]

You're asking on a Budget Board if people would be willing to spend $75 per ticket?

 

[MineMail]

Did you really mean "open bar" in your OP? If so, change to a cash bar. That should cut down on the cost right away. (I think you meant to write "cash bar.")

I think $150/couple is too high and yes, I would want to go with my husband unless some of my friends were going as a group. I realized that a lot of my HS friends weren't in my grade - they were a year before/after my class graduated. Having someone to talk to and dance with made it more fun.

You should reconsider having a group photo taken - it would be a nice keepsake over the candid photos. For some reason, candid photos at celebrations like this usually end up showing less than half of the people who attended. Unless he's a professional, don't advertise that his photography skills are included in the price, especially since you're not planning to send prints of the photos. It's not a tangible benefit that should be factored into the price.

Make sure the DJ knows what type of music you want to hear - I went to a party that had hired a young, trendy DJ to entertain a bunch of middle-aged couples. (I think it was someone's child or grandchild, lol.) He only brought current music and played it so loud, no one could have a conversation. If enough people weren't trying to dance (to rap? really?) he would start yelling "yo yo yo" and other things loudly to get attention. This even happened when the main entree was being served. We left before dessert because the thumping music and the yelling gave me a splitting headache.

I went to a small high school and our 10-year reunion was the pits. It was in October, outdoors under a tent, on the campus of a run-down museum/conservatory. Think cold, rainy and muddy. With port-a-potties and microwaved finger foods for appetizers - ugh. Best of all, they ran out of food before everyone was served. Unbelievable since the admission was $75pp and all they served were hot dogs and burgers with some questionable salads. The cake wasn't even good and there were flies everywhere. They had plenty of beer, though, so I guess that's where the budget went. The organizers took home the leftover untapped kegs.

It was organized by the school's drama clique, who constantly made remarks about inside jokes but didn't clue anyone else in on what they meant. They just giggled and whispered. Morons.

There were several mean-spirited speeches/presentations that to this day, I don't know if they were supposed to be parodies. (They were performers after all.) One woman's nastygram to the Committee, filled with racial and ethnic hate slurs, was read to the group. Followed by the slide show about the class' long-haired rock star (and pot head) who supposedly became a professional ballet dancer. That brought down the already-poor party atmosphere. They turned on a CD player they filled with disco songs and tried to get people to dance on the uneven, muddy ground.

Very strange day. Haven't been to a reunion since that day - it was a bizarre lesson learned.

Hope yours is better, but just remember that your organizing committee has to at least try to make everyone feel welcome, even if they're not part of your group of friends.

 

[eliza61]

You're asking on a Budget Board if people would be willing to spend $75 per ticket?

LOL, I was going to mention that too.

 

[mjkacmom]

Ours was similar, over $100 pp, and although we attended our 20th, we skipped the 25th. Honestly, we live in the town we grew up in, and see MANY people we went to HS with on a daily basis. So many people wish they'd just have a nice, simple reunion, at a local bar or restaurant, for a much lower pricetag. Forget the buffet and the dj - people just want to see and talk to each other, and would rather spend hundreds of dollars on a nice night out with close friends.

 

[Kae]

Ok call on clasmates who have local business ask for business sponsers. Try to get as many people on facebook & get emails-try not to mail any invites no postage no printing expense. Maybe see if you can do a 50/50 raffle for school donation. We have switched to an Hors d oeuvres Buffet instead of sit down and people like it better more mingling time. Instead of an DJ get songs from you High School year and put them on an Ipod.

Have your budget with you so if some on complains you can show it to them. We emailed our costs out monthly while setting things up and you would have been surprised at that Classmates that helped us find cheaper alternatives or donated what was needed.

We also came up with a class Drink & Martini at a lower cost.

Kae

 

[JB2K]

I got suckered into being on the committee for my 20 yr High School Reunion (although I'm still in denial that I'm really that old )

We just posted the invite today to our Reunion FB page and already have one classmate whining about the ticket price. It's set at $75pp for advance tickets ($90 at the door). For that you get appetizers, full dinner and dessert at a very nice venue, DJ, photographer, photo booth, door prizes, decor, donation to the school and will most likely include a free drink ticket (the rest is open bar).

I think it's very reasonable... do you agree? What was the price of your reunion and what was included?

I've been helping-out with my class' 30-year reunion, over this past year (primarly providing PR on the group's FB page) -- you never heard so much drama about costs!

Ours will be held at the local country club with appetizers, a DJ, and a cash bar for those wishing to buy "adult beverages" -- the cost will be $25 per person, which I consider more than reasonable. Any margin for profit is going to be razor-thin, and those profits made will go into the class' bank account to use to purchase flowers/memorials for those classmates who will pass-away over the next 10 years.

However, some don't see it that way -- they think $25 is the equivalent of taking-out a small bank loan and promising to give-up your first-born (we did justify the costs, as you can't do dinner out for two at a "casual dining" restaurant for under $50) -- but we had a small faction of alumni threatening to do their own reunion in a church basement as a "potluck dinner" affair, as they didn't like the possibility of music/dancing (I originally hail from a small town in the nation's "Bible Belt", so something like that is definitely not outside the realm of possibility).

As for the "budget" angle, out of about 230 alumni, we were able to find all but 10 (who dropped-off everyone's radar, years ago), and 11 others have since passed-away. More than half the surviving class is on FB, while others still have family living in the local area (or they still live there, but don't use FB).

Things did finally get straightened-out -- and the reunion happens next weekend. If the thread's still going strong, I'll let everyone know how $25 per person worked-out...

 

[Maggie Lizer]

I know my old high school is planning some kind of 20 year reunion this October, but I am not going - too far away and I already caught up with the people I cared about on FB.

I am actually surprised that about 30% of people go to these things. I think out of a class of 500 +-, only about 25 or 30 have RSVP'd so far that they'd definitely be there.

I do think $150 is a lot per couple. And yes, if I were to go, I'd probably drag my husband. I don't keep up with many people from HS, so I wouldn't feel comfortable going stag and ending up with none of my old friends bothering to go at all. Particularly if it is a fancier sit-down dinner.

 

[LJSquishy]

I think $75 per person is too high. I don't know anyone who would pay that to go to a reunion. Yes, most people bring a spouse.

The prepaid and at the door amounts seem too high to me, so be aware that it may scare off a lot of people who would otherwise attend...which gives you far less money in your fund to pay for the food, dj, etc. Just keep that in mind as you budget, especially since you say you have to pay everything in advance.

Some folks may have additional expenses in order to even attend, such as driving/flying, babysitter, etc. All things to consider when setting the price. You don't want to have almost no one show up and later find out they would have come if the price was $50. Even then, I wouldn't attend, but I don't really like the concept of class reunions.

 

[marius97]

Pay $75/person to spend time with people that I didn't like twenty years ago and haven't seen since, nor have any desire to? Not a chance.

That being said, at 35 I am fast on my way to becoming the grumpy old man sitting on his rocker on the porch with the hose, yelling at the young whiper-snappers to get off my grass.

Now if I wasn't so anti-social, I would think that based on your area, $75 shouldn't be too bad. Most people would be paying nearly that much for a fine dining experience. Through in all the extras and it really isn't out of line.

 

[whatname]

My 25th is next month. It is $15.00 per person. It is at a nice pizza chain restaurant. We have a private area and are having salad bar and pizza buffet. This is what we had for the 20th and everyone seemed satisfied. I, and I'm pretty sure I can speak for my classmates, aren't interested in door prizes, fancy dress, etc. Some family members took pics of the group and posted them. We just want to get together. People seemed to enjoy themselves last time, so I guess that is why the planners went with this again. It is casual dress and just getting together and visiting with people. From the FB page, it looks like alot of people will be attending again.

I think you have to consider that not everyone can afford $75 to $150. If you want to encourage everyone in the class to come, it has to be affordable for all. I don't think I would attend for that price. I can get together with people on my own for less than that.

 

[girli565]

I just went to my 10-year reunion at a ritzy club in Miami (Brickell area if you know Miami). It included 2 door prizes, cold snack trays, and one drink ticket and entrance to the club for $25 per person.

I thought it was steep seeing as I can get into that club for free before midnight, lol.

 

[LilyWDW]

Too high... and I went to a private catholic high school in a decently affluent northern suburb of Chicago. I would not spend that much on a reunion and I actually still keep in touch with some high school friends and liked most of my class. Especially since I would also have to factor in travel costs and some place to stay!

 

[JB2K]

I know my old high school is planning some kind of 20 year reunion this October, but I am not going - too far away and I already caught up with the people I cared about on FB.

That statement is pretty much the reason as to why high school reunions aren't the "in" thing, anymore -- people now do their "catching-up" thing on FB.

 

[lecach]

My reunion is the end of September (25 years). It's $20 per person for a party at the Days Inn with light hors douevres, a dj and BYOB. I'd much prefer the party that you have planned OP. I'd pay $75

 

[BCV2003]

My 25th reunion is this year and the tickets are $90/pp. Could i spend that for a night out and dinner for my BF and I, yes. Will I, no!

I see and keep in touch with a few people from high school regularly but I do not feel the need to spend $180 to do so. I am not cheap in any way.

Instead of paying $180 for mediocre hotel banquet food and I'd rather spend my $$ at Disney or a nice restaurant at home with those that I do keep in contact with.

I also do not feel the need to fund the open bar for the big drinkers. I'm not saying I wouldn't have a drink or two, I'd just rather pay for what I drink and have others do the same. The 20 year reunion was the only one that I went to and half of those there were drinking like there 21 again because it was "free" to them.

 

[jodifla]

The cost is tricky for HS reunions. Our reunions, 10, 20 and 30 have actually been whole weekend of events and we've been based at a hotel, so the price has always been more than $100 a person.

But we've always offered a la carte events as well, so some people just came to the Friday night drinks and appetizers, or the Saturday hotel banquet. Still others just came for the day Saturday and went to the hotel pool and bar, and one of our classmates got a cabana and stocked it with food and drinks.

Our class still turns out pretty well for the reunions, though. The active people really tend to show up.

 

[DawnM]

Our reunion was the cost of 3 nights in a hotel (hotel room was $150/night but we had 3 to our room so we split that cost.)

Then we had a banquet one night, appetizers in our conference room 2 afternoons, a comped conference room (because we booked more than 25 hotel rooms), and a dinner and 2 breakfasts. All together, the cost NOT including the hotel room cost, was $150 per person.

For 4 meals and two afternoons of heavy appetizers, I thought this was pretty reasonably priced.

Dawn

 

[melancholywings]

I wouldn't pay that much...but then again I wouldn't care about any of that stuff - dinner, drinks, DJ, etc. I think it would be more fun to have a family bar-b-q in a park.

 

[thewebbs5]

I got suckered into being on the committee for my 20 yr High School Reunion (although I'm still in denial that I'm really that old )

We just posted the invite today to our Reunion FB page and already have one classmate whining about the ticket price. It's set at $75pp for advance tickets ($90 at the door). For that you get appetizers, full dinner and dessert at a very nice venue, DJ, photographer, photo booth, door prizes, decor, donation to the school and will most likely include a free drink ticket (the rest is open bar).

I think it's very reasonable... do you agree? What was the price of your reunion and what was included?

I think it's too much. For our 20th reunion, we had 3 events. the first one was of very little cost to us (we just provided beer and water) so we'll leave that one off. the second one was a family picnic with hamburgers/hotdogs, sides, desserts and drinks at a large city park with jump houses, the "big" event was a catered dinner with a dj at a place we had to rent. We had a photographer, door prizes, decor, etc. We charged $40/person or $70 per couple for the weekend and had a cash bar on the big night. We secured donations to help defray the costs some. I wouldn't go for $75/person. No way.