Activities & Programming
A complete playbook for the most-requested segment of any class reunion: how to collect the information, what to share, what to absolutely avoid, the slide template, the host script, and the timing that keeps energy high.
Every classmate walks into a reunion with the same question — what happened to everyone? — and almost nobody asks it directly. They scan for familiar faces, make small talk about their own lives, and leave four hours later with a hazy sense of who's a lawyer now and who moved to Phoenix. A structured "Where Are They Now?" segment is the only way to actually answer the question the entire room came to ask.
Done well, it's the emotional centerpiece of the night. People learn that the quiet kid runs a hospital department, that the class clown teaches third grade and loves it, that the couple everyone thought wouldn't last has been married 22 years and just adopted a baby. People discover threads of connection — three classmates living in Denver, two who became nurses, four who own their own businesses — and those threads spark conversations that continue for the rest of the night.
Done badly, it becomes a 90-minute slog that bores half the room, embarrasses someone, or accidentally turns into a roast. The difference between done well and done badly is almost entirely in the planning. The format below is built from what consistently works.
Send this as a Google Form 6 to 8 weeks before the reunion. Include the opt-out prominently. Send two reminders — one at 4 weeks out and one at 1 week out.
This is the proven 35-minute structure. For a class under 50, cut the middle break and run 25 minutes. For a class over 100, split into two 25-minute segments with dinner between.
Opening (2 minutes)
Host welcomes the room, explains the format, thanks everyone who submitted, and acknowledges those who couldn't make it. Sets the tone: warm, celebratory, fast.
First third (10 minutes)
30-second slides per classmate. Photo, name, city, one-line update. Host reads aloud and adds one warm comment. Keep pace brisk — momentum matters.
Break for laughter / applause (1 minute)
Pause after roughly the first third for applause, a sip of water, and a 'we're a third of the way through' transition.
Second third (10 minutes)
Continue at the same pace. Vary your tone — some entries are funny, some moving, some impressive. Match each one.
Tribute slide (2 minutes)
A slide acknowledging classmates we've lost. Read each name with a brief moment of silence. This is the emotional core of the segment — don't rush it.
Final third + non-attendees (8 minutes)
Finish the in-room classmates, then show 'sending love from afar' slides for non-attendees who submitted.
Closing (2 minutes)
Host thanks the room, encourages people to find each other tonight to follow up on what they heard, and transitions to the next event (dance floor opens, dessert, etc.).
🎉 With Reunly
Collect classmate updates with Reunly's reunion forms
One slide per classmate. Keep the template identical for every slide — variation slows the pace and pulls attention from the people, which is the point.
The fastest way to turn this segment into a disaster. Most failures are unintentional — a host trying to be funny lands wrong, or a well-meaning organizer assumes consent that wasn't given.
A short presentation — usually 15 to 25 minutes — where classmates share brief life updates: career, family, location, and one fun fact. The most successful format is a slideshow with one slide per classmate, controlled by a host who reads short updates aloud. It satisfies the universal curiosity people bring to reunions without forcing one-on-one interrogations all night.
Send a Google Form 6 to 8 weeks before the reunion with five required questions: current city, occupation, family (spouse/kids/pets if they want to share), one accomplishment they're proud of, and one fun fact. Make it optional but expected. Include a 'I prefer to be skipped in the presentation' opt-out and respect it absolutely. Aim for 60 to 80% submission rate; that's normal.
Never share information without consent. Never include divorces, financial troubles, medical issues, or legal problems unless the classmate explicitly wrote about them themselves. Avoid joking about people who weren't there — they'll hear about it. Don't include awkward 'high school self vs current self' transformations focused on weight, hair loss, or appearance changes. The bar: would this person feel celebrated reading this slide aloud themselves?
20 to 30 seconds per classmate is the sweet spot — long enough to feel personal, short enough to maintain energy. For a class of 80 with 60 submissions, that's 20 to 30 minutes total. Always cap at 30 minutes — beyond that, energy collapses. If you have more than 80 submissions, split into two segments (early career / current life) or group by hometown region.
Yes, if they submitted information and want to be included. Mark them clearly: 'Couldn't make it tonight — sends her love from Portland.' Many classmates send updates even when they can't travel, and showing their slide tells the room they're still part of the community. Do NOT include surprise updates about non-attendees who didn't submit anything — that's gossip with a screen behind it.
A confident, kind classmate who isn't the loudest person in the room. The class president works, but so does a teacher everyone loved or a calm couple-hosting setup. The host should be someone who can ad-lib a kind comment about each person without crossing into roast territory. Two co-hosts (one funny, one warm) work better than one solo.
Reunly's class reunion app handles classmate updates, photo submissions, and the full run-of-show.
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