Although the world is beginning to rise from the ashes of the COVID-19 Pandemic, there are still many who are hesitant to travel for large events like family reunions. Why not, like many other things during the pandemic, make it digital? Here are some tips and tricks on how to organize a virtual family reunion.
- Organizing all the participants information Make sure that you have at least 2-3 forms of communication for reaching family members to inform them of the event. Have at least an address and the most up to date phone number and maybe an email address. For younger family members you can even reach out on social media.
- Format How exactly do you want to format your reunion? Do you want it to be a couple hours on a video call or do you want to do a series of video calls covering different topics over a period of time. Is there going to be multiple video calls at the same time for different age ranges? Once you figure out the format, you can get to the nitty gritty details.
- Content Okay so you have figured out the format for your digital family reunion. Are there different resources you’re going to need? Are you going to do a photo montage video? Collect all the images you’re using and digitize them if needed.Are different relatives educating on family history, make sure everyone knows who’s talking on what subject.
- Assistance If you have a really large family like I do, you might need some assistance on collecting info,pictures, and other resources for your family reunion. Reach out to aunts, uncles, and cousins for any assistance if needed. Also make sure you have designated people on standby to help with any technical issues.
- Schedule To make sure everyone is on the same page, create a schedule or itinerary for your family reunion. List out the different topics that will be covered. Include links to any resources you want participants to have before the reunion. Maybe include a family directory so people can refresh themselves on names.
- Have Fun! Enjoy catching up with relatives, sharing stories and learning more about your family history !