Reunions are big business for hotels, caterers and even T-shirt makers. The Shreveport-Bossier Convention and Tourist Bureau plans to host a reunion planning workshop in February for people who are in charge of an upcoming family, class or military reunion.
The workshop is billed as a one-stop shop for how to plan a reunion, according to the bureau’s Kevin Flowers, a convention sales manager and point person for reunion-related questions for the past eight years.
“We get calls from a lot of first-timers who say, I was picked to coordinate the reunion this year and I’ve never done it before. I need to know where to start," Flowers said.
Flowers has lined up about 30 vendors who will showcase their product or service at the workshop. Attendees will learn how to plan a reunion itinerary, select a hotel, reserve event sites and choose the right ones for a group.
The size of reunions vary from about 75 people to hundreds at some military reunions, according to Flowers, and he said the Shreveport-Bossier Convention and Tourist Bureau keeps track of their impact on the local economy.
“We would estimate they spend somewhere around $70,000 to $70,500 on each reunion. Of course, that depends a lot on the size of the reunion and how many nights they’re staying, and that type of thing," Flowers said.
The workshop is set for Saturday, Feb. 8, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Villaggio Lakehouse and Event Center in Bossier City. It’s limited to 50 reunion planners and pre-registration is necessary.
