Sharing an alma mater gives alumni an immediate connection, but it doesn’t necessarily give them a reason to gather. Different degrees, graduation dates, interests, connections to the university, careers, and geographic regions create a bit of a challenge when you’re trying to bring alumni together. And that’s what can make planning alumni events tricky.

An active alumni association gives grads opportunities to build new connections long after they leave campus. Alumni events can help people expand their professional networks, meet friends in their community, stay connected to the university, support current and future students, and even discover a familiar face after moving to a new city.

While happy hours and game watches may be alumni event staples, they’re far from the only options. Whether you’re planning events for an established alumni chapter or trying to bring graduates in your area together for the first time, here are some tips and ideas to inspire your next gathering.

Get Creative With Your Event Calendar

Coming up with alumni events can be one of the hardest parts of filling your calendar, especially if you’re planning gatherings regularly. Instead of starting from scratch every time, look at what’s already happening around you.

Check local event calendars for festivals, sporting events, museum exhibitions, and seasonal activities that local alum might be interested in attending. Look at your university’s calendar for big games, homecoming, festivals, and other traditions that you can celebrate from afar. And don’t overlook activities that just sound fun: craft nights, wine tastings, dog park meetups, brewery tours, or bar crawls.

Your alumni community can be another source of ideas. Send out a survey or make a social media post asking alumni what they’d like to do. And don’t forget to look for grads who own businesses or have connections to venues and experiences. An alumni-owned brewery, art studio, restaurant, or tour company can give you some of your best event ideas while also giving you the chance to support fellow grads.

Help People Settle In 

Walking into any event can feel a little awkward, especially if it’s your first time with a group, you’re coming alone, or you have no idea if you’ll know anyone there. Think about how you can make those first few minutes a little easier for everyone, even the regulars. 

Make your group easy to find, have a clear spot for check-in (if necessary), and consider handing out nametags that include graduation years, majors, or other details that can help spark conversation. You can also try some icebreaker activities like alumni bingo, trivia, or conversation-starting question cards. You don’t need to structure the entire event – just give people an easy way to settle in and make that first connection. 

Broaden Your Reach

Your event promotion doesn’t have to stop with alumni who live in your immediate area. Share events with nearby chapters and alumni groups and consider promoting larger or more unique gatherings to out-of-town grads.

Alumni travel, visit friends and family, and return to places they once called home. Someone who lives a few hours away may already be planning a trip to your city, while someone else might see an event advertised that feels worth the drive. Expanding your promotion gives more grads a chance to connect whether they live nearby or just happen to be in town. 

You could also consider reaching out to alumni groups from other universities. Have a rival football game coming up? Invite the opposing team’s local alumni group for a game watch. 

Tap Into University Resources

Don’t forget to use your university as a resource. Reach out to your alumni office to find out what support might be available for local events. Depending on the school, that could include funding, promotional support, university swag, or connections to faculty, coaches, administrators, and other university representatives. 

Your alumni office may also be able to help you reach more grads by promoting your event through university emails, newsletters, social media, or event calendars. This is especially helpful if privacy policies prevent local groups from having direct access to alumni contact information.

Keep them in the loop about what you’re planning. They may have information about university-sponsored events in your city, notable alumni coming to town, or other opportunities that could inspire your next event.

Promote Before, During, and After

A single invitation won’t get people through the door. Just like any event, it’s important to promote your event across every channel you have access to. Send reminders as the date gets closer. Encourage your board members and regular attendees to share the event with their personal networks too.

Keep promoting while the event is happening. Share photos and videos on social media, tag your university and venue when appropriate, and give people a glimpse of what they’re missing. If you have another event on the calendar, make sure attendees know what’s coming up next. Print out flyers, create a QR code for registration, and check in throughout the event.

When the event is over, take some time to evaluate how it went. Look beyond the final headcount. Did you see new faces? Did people stick around for a while? What did they seem to enjoy most? Take note of feedback, event ideas, or any other suggestions you heard throughout the night and use it to plan future gatherings.

Conclusion

Keep trying new things! There’s no single type of event that will work for every alumni group, and you probably won’t know what resonates with yours until you try a few things. Some events may become annual traditions, while others might be a one-and-done. And both are okay.

Don’t let one quiet event send you back to the same happy hour every month. Keep giving alumni new reasons to get together. Keep adding to the calendar. The more opportunities you create for grads to get together, the more chances they have to find an event, activity, or group of people that keeps them connected.

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Bonus: Alumni Event Ideas

Sometimes the hardest part of planning an alumni event is simply deciding what to do. If you need a little inspiration, here are a few ideas you can make your own.

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Kadi McDonald is a proud alumna of Ohio University in Athens, Ohio. She is also a board member of the Cleveland chapter of the Ohio University Alumni Association and regularly plans events. GO BOBCATS!