You’re planning your Military Reunion and you haven’t the faintest idea of where it should be.
You’ve thought about cities you are familiar with but are unsure about how others will feel about them.
After all, the military reunion is being planned for the attendees and if they don’t like the location, or worse, can’t get to the location, the whole event can quite disastrous.
The most important things to keep in mind when planning a military reunion is that it has to be easy to get to, relatively inexpensive to stay at, and has some attractive recreational activities. Follow the guidelines below to select the perfect military reunion location.
Where Is Everyone From
Where are most of your military reunion attendees from? If they are all from a certain part of the country, then it makes sense to limit the choices to major cities in the area.
So if most of your military reunion attendees are from the northeast, then it makes sense to select a major city like Boston, New York, Philadelphia or the ever popular Washington DC.
If you do select a city that is not in the same region as yours, then pick one that is easy to get to. Cities like Norfolk, Las Vegas, and San Diego come to mind.
Make Sure The Destination Is Desirable
It is easy to forget that you’re planning a military reunion for the attendees. In deciding a location, make sure the area is a desirable one for the people that are planning to attend. If the reunion is going to be attended by family members too, then it makes sense to select a family friendly location like Orlando. If the reunion is just for those who served, then a location like Las Vegas would make sense.
Additionally, consider the climate, recreational activities, and tourist attractions nearby. Is there a military base or a WWII submarine that your group would be interested in touring? Taking this into consideration will help you narrow your choices tremendously.
Group Rates For Hotels
While you may be able to get away with driving to the destination, hotels are going to be a big cost for all attendees. Select a city that offers affordable hotel rates for your group.
Getting group rates for multiple cities can be done by filling out a simple group hotel rates form. Hotels from your desired cities will email you their group rates and the service is completely free. If you have questions about what to look for in a hotel, here is some helpful advice on selecting a hotel for your military reunion.
Is Your Host City Accessible? Cheap To Get To?
It’s no wonder that San Diego, Washington DC and Las Vegas are popular with military reunions. They are all easy to get to and offer relatively cheap flights out of just about any major metro area. How accessible are the cities you have in mind?
A good rule of thumb is that either your chosen city should be within driving distance or it should require a maximum of one connecting flight to get to. Anything more will be too expensive and require too much effort on the part of your attendees.
Use A Historical Reference
If this is not the first time your military buddies are getting together for a reunion, then don’t forget to contact the previous planner and get some advice on selecting a location. Find out what locations were considered last time, and which locations would they suggest for a reunion this time.
While you are at it, ask then what they would have dome differently in their reunion. Finally, this person has a wealth of knowledge about your group so make sure to keep his/her number on speed dial.
Let Your Attendees Vote On A City
While the guidelines above will help you narrow down the choices to a region, you still have to select a city. Here is where the internet really shines.
If you have a military reunion website (and you should), then add a poll to it so others can vote. Once the poll is live with 3-4 cities listed as choices, send out a mass email telling everyone to go and vote.
Remind everyone that they have until a certain date to enter their vote so people don’t go lazy on you. Once you have the votes, you can announce to everyone what city has been selected.
What Cities Host 300 Military Reunions Per Year?
If you are still confused about where to go, try a safe bet. Branson, Mo., San Diego, Ca., and Norfolk, Va., do more than 300 military reunions a year and are well equipped to handle any of your reunion needs. They are all well versed in the ins and outs of the military reunion market so the learning curve at hotels, and area attractions won’t be steep, thereby lessening your work.
Using the guidelines above should help you select the best city for your military reunion. While all the planning above requires a lot of work (That’s why you should have lots of volunteers), the time spent is well worth it. Not only will you get the satisfaction of successfully planning a military reunion, you will build friendships that will last a long time.
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