In their business, all customers are return customers
Technology has changed just about everything, even the nostalgia business. At Reunited, a Weston company that plans and orchestrates class reunions, the Internet has become an important part of the process.
All upcoming reunions are listed on the company's Web site, and every class planning a reunion has an e-mail address and its own home page.
``The home page is a perfect vehicle for people who are looking for information about their own reunions. The classes love it, because they can post messages to their classmates and return to it in future years,'' said Jonathan Miller, who owns and operates Reunited with his wife, Beth Miller. The company coordinates reunions from contacts to menu planning.
Not surprisingly, the home pages and e-mail addresses are most popular with 10-year reunions, because many class members routinely work with computers.
But older classes seem to like them just as well. ``When we planned a reunion for the class of '49 from Miami Beach High, they were extremely computer-savvy,'' Jonathan Miller said. ``Half the committee members have an e-mail address and use the Internet regularly.''
Class of '78
Sandy Perlman, an assistant public defender for Broward County, was a member of the committee responsible for an upcoming 20th year reunion for the North Miami Beach Senior High Class of 1978.
Reunited is planning the August event, and the Internet made things easier, Perlman said. ``People leave messages for each other, and [Reunited's] use of the Internet has enabled us to reach more of our classmates,'' she said.
Having a professional reunion planner beats the do-it-yourself approach, Perlman added.
``Back in the olden days, the committee did everything. Reunited has always responded quickly, and they're on top of everything,'' she said.
The Millers started the company in 1988 when Jonathan Miller expected his own 10-year reunion to be coming up in Rockville, Md. When he found out no one was planning it, the Millers went into action themselves.
On their own
Jonathan Miller had been working in corporate communications for American Express. About the same time he began planning his reunion, he left to start his own public relations firm. His wife was in law school. They enjoyed planning the Rockville reunion enough so they began doing the same thing part-time for classes in South Florida.
The Millers began Reunited with no lump sum investment or overhead. ``We started with one computer,'' Beth Miller said. ``We never took out a loan, but as we made money we put it back into the business. Now we have four computers, and backdrops and decorations.''
Beth Miller passed the bar and began practicing law, but when the couple decided to start a family in 1993, she quit to spend full time on Reunited, which the couple operates from home.
``I was working long hours. I was expected to stay late, and to work weekends,'' she said. ``I didn't want to combine that with having a child. This is a lot more fun, and a lot more flexible.''
Last year, the business grossed about $450,000.
Tracking them down
In 1996, they hired a full-time employee to help track down missing class members. Jonathan Miller starts with a school yearbook, then uses some of the same systems police do -- the Social Security database, marriage records, and the drivers license bureau. He's tracked people down all over the country and abroad.
Reunited does a good job of searching, said Faith Kastens, who works for American Express and was part of the committee for the Boyd Anderson High School Class of 1977's 20th year reunion last year. ``The research they did in locating my classmates was 99.9 percent accurate,'' she said.
``They had a toll free number and an e-mail address. They gave me constant updates. And through the Web page, I was connected with people who knew me from other classes and other schools. It's a cool idea.''
To generate excitement, Miller does four separate mailings for each reunion. ``Ideally, we like to work a year in advance,'' he said. ``But more often, people book summer reunions after the first of the year, because that's when they start to think about it.''
Standard package
Beth Miller takes charge of finding an appropriate location, booking a room, planning a menu, and other details of the party. The standard Reunited package costs $100 per person and usually includes a Friday evening cocktail party with open bar, and a Saturday night event with food stations.
``Everything is designed to get people to move around and talk to each other,'' Jonathan Miller said.
The Millers don't tell committees what to plan, but they do offer advice about what seems to work and what doesn't. One thing that doesn't: ``Cruises,'' Jonathan Miller said. ``They're too expensive, and difficult to coordinate. And on a ship, you're usually not together very much.''
Outdoor events aren't much good, either. ``Picnics don't really work,'' Beth Miller said.
``People like to see each other's children in a casual setting, but it's usually so hot because most reunions take place during the summer.''
Committees are not required to make an initial deposit. Reunited handles all the up-front expenses and assumes the financial risks of the reunion.
They've never lost money. ``We try to get people to pay in advance, but typically they wait until the last minute and pay at the door,'' Jonathan Miller said. He recalled one reunion where the prepaid numbers were very small, but most of the class arrived at the door on the night of the event anyway. The couple had to scramble to make accommodations.
Internet important
Sunny McGinnis, owner of Reunion Celebrations in Tampa and past president of the National Association of Reunion Managers, said there are 76 known reunion planning companies nationwide. About 45 of them are association members.
Increased use of professional reunion planners is a sign of the times.
``Historically, women were on the planning committees,'' McGinnis said. ``Now they work outside the home, so the amount of time they have to volunteer is limited.''
Most independent reunion planners have their own web sites, and many are linked to the associations's national site (http://www.classmates.com/) McGinnis said. ``In the last two years, Internet use has boomed,'' she added.
Reunited will plan and orchestrate a reunion of any size. ``If there are three people attending or 300, they're still going to have a reunion,'' Beth Miller said. ``People who are active enough to participate deserve that.''
The couple tries to divide duties with Beth Miller handling the registration desk and Jonathan circulating the party room to make sure things go smoothly. But the company has grown enough so that's no longer always possible. ``We used to do one reunion per weekend. Now we do three or four,'' Jonathan Miller said. ``That was a big step for us. We'd always worked together, and now we have to split up.''
For the Millers, being partners in both marriage and business works well. ``We're very much alike, but we're also very different,'' Beth Miller said. ``I enjoy doing things he doesn't, and vice versa. We have different backgrounds that let us do things we like, so we don't clash.''
Planning a successful reunion is personally satisfying, Beth Miller said: ``If people have a good time, then we're happy.''
Copyright © 1998 The Miami Herald
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