Planning a Reunion

The planning of a reunion is quite involved and if we share the knowledge of what we have to go through maybe you can help us with planning a reunion and carrying it out.

Choosing a City

First a city is located that we feel can provide an interesting reunion. In locating a city we have to consider air transportation, hotel accommodations and services, area tours of interest and timing, and the time of year which we can arrange for lower room rates. Not all the cities will work for us because of hotel cost and tour cost or no air transportation. Not all cities are around something naval and we now have to look for other interesting things to do.

How is a city chosen? Well we listen to the membership and then have to make a decision that we feel will work. We try to move around the United States so that we can come close to different members cutting the cost of travel for some.

Choosing the hotel is no easy task. We have only had two bad hotels in all our years of doing reunions but the reunion went off fine. In the hotel process we look for size of hotel, location to air and other surrounding eateries and attractions. How much can we get the hotel to provide us without cost and what services do they offer? What type of meeting room can we get and what services can we provide, not the hotel in the meeting room. Some states won’t allow us to bring in our own coffee and drinks to a meeting room while others do. What is the cost if the hotel has to provide these services? Is the meeting room located in a place easy to get to and is it large enough for what we want to use it for? Will the hotel set up the meeting room in a manner that we know works for our reunion and what is the cost for this meeting room over our stay at the hotel? These cost are added into the registration fee. All these things have to be taken into consideration prior to us signing a contract with the city and hotel. It is best if we can travel to the hotel and visit with the hotel staff we will be working with and testing out the food service and other items that we will need at the hotel. If all fits our needs then we can sign a contract and when the contract is signed we leave nothing out of it. We even choose the linen for the banquet and how the tables are arranged and the services provided to our group and what cost are involved. It has to be in writing or we don’t get it or can’t make it happen. Some hotel sales people talk a good talk but if they won’t put it in writing in detail we don’t get the service. Only experience has showed us what we have to require in a contract.

We have to guess at the number of rooms that will be taken and sign a contract based on that number and then if we don’t hit the number we pay extra costs to the hotel. If we go over that number of rooms needed will they be available for our members. Without the knowledge of who plans to attend this becomes a real nightmare. One answer is early registration at the hotel even 6 months before hand. You can always cancel that registration if you can’t attend.

Now the hotel is secured and it is time to locate a bus company that will work with us on tours. Does the bus company sell block time (3 ½ hours) or just a flat fee? What is the cost of each tour per person? This we decide on the basis of a 47-passenger bus being sold at 33 passengers. We hope to fill the bus but if we don’t then we loose money on that tour. We have to guess at how many may wish to take the tour and are there extra busses available to us if we need them? Now we have to learn what is available to tour and what is the cost of admission to the tour or attraction and will it work for our group? This is difficult because there are always so many things to see and do but when a tour cost $55.00 just for the admission fee and then you have to ad the bus charge to that, we have to say no! We try to choose no cost tours so all we have is the bus cost but some times there is up to a $15.00 per person charge for admission and that has to be added into the tour costs. Next is the most important item on scheduling a reunion are the dates and times available to us for these tours? It has been done to us where we schedule a year in advance a tour that has to be canceled because of the site being closed unexpectedly and we scramble at the last minute to schedule a replacement site or tour. This normally occurs with a military base tour or an active ship tour.

Now that we have the hotel and tours in place we just wait and see if it all comes together. This becomes the hardest part of planning a reunion. Should the number of attendees drop below our projection we have to start making other arrangements and fast or the cost of the reunion increases fast. We have had two reunions that have dipped into the DeHaven operating budget not putting into it.

What can you do to lesson our burden? Register with the hotel months before the cut off date. Register with us for the tours and banquet months before the cut off date. With the knowledge of who and how many plans to attend we can track all the activities long before last minute changes have to be made? If you think you might attend register with the hotel right then not when you know for sure. Send us a registration on the tours and banquet even if you have to cancel later, you will get a refund if paid in advance. If you don’t have the funds early, please send in a registration form early and state when you can make the payment. We would like payment before the cut off date but if we get it at the time you arrive at the hotel we can work with that as well. We just have to know months in advance if you are coming to the reunion and what you would like to take part in.

Our goal is to keep the cost per person under $140.00 for the whole event. This has to be taken into consideration as well.

When you cancel after the cut off date and the cost of a tour or bus has been made based on your registration we will have to sell your tickets to another late arrival. Then a refund can be made. If no sale is made we can not refund you money. Normally we can make that sale but don’t count on it every time and for each event.

A final note. We try to please everyone all the time but not everyone is alike so we choose what we feel the majority will like. So far all our reunions have been enjoyable and fun.

It has been requested that an explanation of what happens at a DeHaven reunion for those who might like to attend for the first time. With all the new reunion attendees last year this may help ease the new feeling and not knowing what to expect when you arrive.

We try to plan something for everyone, not just the shipmates. The wives are important as well. We want everyone to enjoy this time together.

Early registration is important for planning purposes. Don’t wait until the cut-off dates.

Upon arrival, check into your room and then go to the DeHaven registration desk and check in. You will receive your packet and tour tickets. This is normally done the first day of the reunion but can be done anytime for late arrivals. Be sure to bring your memorabilia and photo albums to share with your shipmates. Tables are provided in the hospitality room for display of your items. The rest of the first day is spent visiting with old friends and making new ones, learning about the hotel and area such as where to eat, visit on your own and the like.

Day two is set for a tour should you wish to take it or you can just stay at the hotel and visit the hospitality room or takes some side trips on your own. When taking a tour have your ticket for the tour with you and be at the loading area by the scheduled time, normally 15 minutes before departure. The bus driver is a tour guide and will often explain the area as we travel to the destination and back. Those of us who work on putting together the reunion can help answer most of your questions. Enjoy the tour. We try to return to the hotel early and try to keep all tours limiting long walks for those that have trouble walking. Please try to return to the bus at the designated time for departure so someone does not have to try and find you and hold up the bus departure. We do have to follow a tight schedule of time for the busses.

Day three is normally a free day with our business meeting at 9:30 in the morning in the hospitality room which can last as short as half hour or as long as 2 hours depending on the amount of business to be discussed. We welcome your input at this meeting. If you have questions about our Association this is where to ask them. Be an active part of your group as new ideas are always welcome. If we have tried it before and it did not work we can share that with you as well. If we have not and it can be worked into our organization we will see if we can try it. This meeting is important to keep our organization operating like a well-manned ship. Each member of the crew is important even the ladies as this is your time too. An election is held for the officers of the Association.

The rest of the day is spent either in the hospitality room or joining with someone that has transportation and seeing the local area. Don’t be afraid to ask who is going where and if you can join them.

Day four is another tour of something if interest to all and normally ends with a shopping trip to local area stores and gift shops and eateries. The evenings of these first four days are spent in the hospitality room with the guys telling their stories of days when they were on the ship and the ladies telling their stories of their interests. Some times cards are played or just relaxing and enjoying the good company of friends. Never be afraid to walk over and join a group discussion even if you are new to a reunion, you will be welcome any time and we will welcome your stories. Most of the old timers who attend reunions regularly enjoy hearing new stories as some of the old ones just keep getting bigger as the years pass by.

Day five starts with another short tour usually being the best of them and returning to the hotel early so you can rest and prepare for the photo session before the banquet. Photos of couples or individuals are taken as well as groups such as the 40’s 50’s, and 60’s sailors, etc. At the banquet we hold a memorial for all our departed shipmates for the year and try to arrange for guest speakers.

It is important to understand that half of our yearly operating budget comes from fund raised at the reunion. Raffles are held for various items so there may be up to three different sales of tickets going on during the whole reunion.

When deciding on attending we would like you to take any of the tours you would enjoy but the cost of the reunion will be set by you as to what you wish to take part in and you are not required to do everything unless you wish to. So you set the cost you can afford not us.

Plan to come and be a big part of you group and enjoy all the fun and friendship that is shared at a reunion.