Event Resources

Ask yourself questions such as:

• What is the purpose or goal of this event?
• Who is the target audience?
• How many attendees do you expect?
• Will my event be hosted in-person or virtually (webinar, meeting, live stream, etc.)?
• How long should the event last?

Tips:

• Keep virtual events to no more than two hours. If more time is needed, consider hosting the event over multiple days.
• Consider a variety of ways to engage attendees. Encourage audience participation through interaction such as a chat, poll, Q&A, Zoom hand raise, screen sharing, etc.
• Consider designing your event around virtual content that already exists.

Does your event conflict with a major university or Alumni Relations event already scheduled? Ensure the best turnout for your event by avoiding major programming days or times held for major events.

When planning a virtual brown bag event at noon, consider whether most of your likely participants are on the East Coast. If they aren’t, consider changing the time or format. 

Consider the variety of roles that classmates can fill to assist in making the event successful.

Event Organizer: This person manages event details, including the venue, catering, outreach to possible event hosts, moderators, and speakers, etc.

Event Host: This is the person (or persons) who have attached their name to the event. These people may be the event organizers, the person introducing the event, or a “big name” who would draw people to the event.

Moderator: For events with speakers, the moderator assists with maintaining the flow of the event, manage the timing, and ensures the conversation continues smoothly when multiple speakers are involved.

Speakers and Panelists: When reaching out to speakers or panelists, ensure they are aware of your theme and what ties their perspectives to the overarching theme.

Greeters: Ask classmates to greet attendees as they arrive. This may include staffing a sign-in table, helping early arrivals feel welcome and comfortable, and providing direction regarding locations of restrooms, event sessions, etc.

Marketers: Ask for help spreading the word about your event. Beyond sharing the details on official class platforms (social media, newsletter, email, website, etc.), ask a few classmates to help push the event out to their friend groups.

Scribe: Think about how this event will be leveraged in the future. By assigning a scribe to take notes and photos during the event, the event can easily be reported on in upcoming newsletters, social media posts, and on your website.

Tips

• Technology Support: Two classmates focused on technology support are recommended to ensure that the technological aspects of the meeting run smoothly. These classmates should be familiar with the platform and be able to troubleshoot basic issues during the event.

• Breakout Room Moderators: If Zoom breakout rooms are being used to facilitate small group conversations, breakout room moderators should be determined in advance of the event.

   

Is your event in-person or virtual?

If the event is in-person, will you require microphones, projectors and screens, or other equipment? Venues may be limited, so it is important to confirm that your technology needs can be met before booking and advertising a venue.

If the event is hosted virtually, decide on which platform will work best for the particular program. Options include Zoom, a live streaming platform, using a pre-recorded session with a live chat component, etc.

Tips

• Do I need Zoom Pro functionality or will Zoom Basic suffice? If Zoom Pro is needed, contact your class president, vice president, or mini-reunion chair to ask them to set up your session using their Dartmouth Zoom Pro accounts. Basic accounts allow you to host an unlimited number of meetings with up to 100 participants for up to 40 minutes. Pro accounts allow you to host an unlimited number of meetings with up to 300 participants for up to 24 hours. Additional features include cloud recording, user management, and admin feature controls.
• Does this event require small group discussion?
• Do I need to be able to share a recording of this event in the future?
• Are my classmates comfortable using the platform I’m considering?
• Is there a classmate who can assist with troubleshooting issues that arise before and during the event?
• Passwords are now required for all Zoom meetings.
• Set to require registration if needed.
• Set to automatically record if you'd like to share in the future.
• Set to mute participants upon entry if you're hosting a speaker.
• When hosting an event on Zoom, ensure event protection by adjusting the settings to meet your needs. Understanding Zoom meeting settings will lead to a smooth-operating event.

Determine whether your event requires registration. Event registration pages can be requested by submitting a request to the Alumni Help Desk. This request should be submitted at least a week before you anticipate registration opening. These forms can be used for both in-person and virtual events.

Tips 

• To prevent unknown entities from accessing your virtual event, do not share the link to the event publicly. Consider emailing the link to registered classmates, posting to a private social media account, or sending the link in a newsletter instead. 
• As your event nears, send occasional reminder emails. If screen sharing or the chat will be utilized during your virtual event, use this as an opportunity to encourage classmates to join the event from a computer instead of by phone.

Marketing may be the most important step when planning an event. Be sure to get word out about your event well in advance to ensure the date and time can be held on calendars.

Utilize all channels available to your class: newsletter, social media, website, Dartmouth Alumni Magazine column, word of mouth, etc.

And don’t forget to post your event to the Alumni Relations events calendar!

When inviting panelists and speakers to participate, obtain permission to use images for promotional purposes and video to share with those who could not attend after the event.

If applicable, gather and organize content for a presentation. Consider playing an introductory slide show (perhaps with upbeat music playing) as people arrive. This can include brief speaker bios, a welcome message, instructions if the event is interactive, an agenda, photos from recent events or your yearbook, and other materials.

Share materials ahead of time with speakers, including the agenda, any points you hope they will touch one, overall goals for the event, and arrival time.

Schedule a practice session with speakers to ensure they’re comfortable with the technology, timing, and audio visual equipment.

Tips
In addition to the speakers walk through, schedule 30 minutes with your virtual event team to review the technology, roles, tasks for each person, and answer any questions.

Ask key players—speakers, moderator, etc.—to arrive 45 minutes prior to an in-person event. Take time to walk through the event to ensure everyone knows where they should be and when. Conduct a sound check as needed.

If a check-in table is used, ensure it is set up and ready to welcome classmates 30 minutes prior to the start of your event.

Tips
If using Zoom, ask classmates overseeing the technology to sign in 30 minutes in advance to confirm meeting settings, controls, and the video/audio connection.

Speakers, panelists, and event hosts should connect at least 20 minutes prior to the start of the event to test their connection, ensure they’ve been un-muted and are visible if needed, find the best lighting, review the agenda, and ask any last-minute questions.

After the event, be sure to follow up to thank your classmates for attending the event. If the event was recorded, and permission has been obtained, share the recording with classmates. If notes or photos were taken, share these with the newsletter editor, digital content manager, and secretary.

Consider surveying classmates to get feedback regarding your event and suggestions for future events.

Attendance at an event is based on many factors, including...

• Number of classmates invited
• Marketing strategy
• Type of event

A standard rule of thumb is to expect between 10% and 40% of those invited to attend. 

Many classes hosting large-scale events such as destination mini-reunions, multi-day gatherings, and multi-class events form an event-specific committee to assist with the planning. The committee may include an overall event chair (usually the mini-reunion committee member in that region) and additional classmates to coordinate food, lodging, activities, marketing, entertainment, etc. 

Please refer to the Facilities Chart to view all on-campus spaces available for events. This document includes information regarding room capacity, catering, and restrictions. 

To request on-campus space for your events, please contact Conferences & Events (603-646-2259). Be prepared to share the following when making your request:

• Type of Event
• Preferred Date and Time
• Expected Attendance
• AV or Technical Support Needed
• Room Set-Up Preferences
• Handicap Accessibility as Needed
• Parking Requests (Incurs a Fee)

Any event held on campus must abide by Dartmouth alcohol policies, Hanover town ordinances, and New Hampshire state liquor laws. Please refer to Dartmouth's Guidelines for Events Involving Alcohol document when planning an event on campus.

Furthermore, no person—whether student, alumna/us, graduate student, etc.—is permitted to possess, serve, or consume hard alcohol on the grounds of undergraduate residence halls, fraternities and sorority housing, undergraduate and senior societies, affinity houses, Collis Center, Tom Dent Cabin, Robinson Hall, and Class of 1953 Commons, including Sarner Underground.

Yes, and it is important to note that approved caterers must be used for all on-campus events.

Yes, to review the policies that apply to Dartmouth alumni classes, view the resources below. 

• Insurance Information and Q&A (January 2024)
• Commercial Excess Liability and Umbrella Policy (January 2024)
• Commercial General Liability Policy (January 2024)
• Alumni Clubs International Policy (January 2024)
• Commercial Insurance (January 2024)
• Crime Policy Overview (January 2024)
• Crime Policy (January 2024)

If you wish to invite a member of the Dartmouth faculty, Board of Trustees, senior administration, or Athletics to speak at an event, please submit the Dartmouth Speaker Request Form. The Alumni Continuing Education Office will respond promptly to all speaker requests.

Class banners are a wonderful addition to any mini-reunion. Attendees often take photos with the class banner for use in upcoming emails, newsletters, social media posts, and websites.

Felt banners are available for purchase through the Dartmouth Coop. These banners are 18" by 36" and cost $124 each. They can be shipped within five weeks for an additional $15 each.

Several options are available to classes interested in purchasing name badges for use at events. A few options are listed below for your convenience.

Stick-On Name Tags with Your Design

• Design your own self-adhesive name badge with Vistaprint
• Order in quantities of one or more sheets of ten name tags
• Select from a variety of professional design options or upload your own

3/8" Custom Silkscreen Event Lanyards with 2 Hooks

• Recommend adding the breakaway option for safety
• Can be purchased in quantities of 100 or more
• Production time is approximately four working days
• Free shipping included
• Recommend the NPS swivel bulldog clip, the black wide plastic hook, or the NPS split ring with clear vinyl strap clip for plastic name badge holders

Horizontal Vinyl Name Badge Holder 

• Can be purchased in quantities for 100 or more
• Holds a 4" x 3" insert card (insert card not included)
• Production time is approximately one working day for bland and five for a one color imprint 

5/8" Polyester Lanyard with Bulldog Clip & Clear Vinyl Badge Holder

• One-stop shop for lanyard and badge holder
• Must be purchased in larger quantities of 500 or more
• Production time is approximately 8 to 15 working days
• Warning: Breakaway safety option does not appear to be available

Small Corded Card Holder

• Holds a 3.85" x 2.68" insert card
• Can be purchased in quantities of 100 or more
• Includes neck cord and badge holder

 Printing Services

• Staples
• Office Depot
• UPS Store
• FedEx

The Dartmouth Coop is available to classes interested in purchasing swag for mini-reunions. Check out this flyer to view a few swag options for every budget.