Planning a Reunion: IES Abroad Reunion Toolkit: Nantes

Planning a Reunion:
IES Abroad Reunion Toolkit: Nantes
Why Plan a Reunion?
A reunion can be a valuable experience for alumni. The event can give you a chance to see old friends,
make new ones, and reminisce about your study abroad experience, as well as network and make useful
connections. If you are interested in organizing a reunion for the alumni of your IES Abroad program,
here are steps to take as you plan the event.
IES Abroad Alumni Engagement Office
IES Abroad has an alumni database containing contact information for our 100,000+ alums. We will
provide you a list of your classmates to help you locate and contact them. For more information, contact
IES Abroad Alumni Engagement at [email protected] or call Jennifer Jerzyk, Nantes ’81, at 312-2615069.
Ask Your Fellow Classmates
As you start receiving responses from alumni interested in participating in the reunion, don’t forget to
ask your classmates for help. Other alums may have contact information for people you have been
unable to find or may be willing to assist you in locating alums. Many IES Abroad reunions are organized
by a reunion planning committee. Enlist other alums to help you organize the details of your event.
Create a Facebook group for your IES Abroad class to exchange ideas and photos.
Gather Ideas for Reunion Activities
Use email and the telephone to talk with your classmates about what they’d like to do at a reunion.
Where would they like the reunion to take place? What kinds of activities would they like to engage in
during the reunion? How much free time would they like to have? How much are they expecting to
spend on a reunion?
IES Abroad Alumni Events are a Natural Starting Point for Class Reunions
Consider planning your reunion in the U.S. around one of the many alumni events hosted by IES Abroad.
You can find a list of upcoming alumni receptions on the IES Abroad website. Many classes have
successfully planned their reunion around one of these events that begins on a Thursday night. Reunion
groups hold their own activities on Friday and Saturday and return home on Sunday. If you hold your
reunion in Chicago, your group will be invited to the IES Abroad international headquarters for a tour
and program about IES Abroad today.
Promote Your Reunion
Let the Alumni Engagement Office know the dates and contact information for your reunion and we can
help you promote your reunion in the following ways:
IESabroad.org: Website lists dates and contact information for upcoming reunions and IES Abroad
Alumni Weekends planned and hosted by IES Abroad..
Exchange: alumni magazine mailed one a year and distributed by email five times a year.
Social Networking: If your class does not already have a Facebook group page, create one now.
Email and US mail: Customized announcements and information about your class reunion.
How Many Will Attend?
Reunions typically draw between 15-40 attendees. Classes that hold reunions more frequently may
grow in size over the years.
Communicating with Attendees
Email has become the fastest and most economical way for reunion planners and attendees to
communicate with one another. Be sensitive, however, some attendees do not have access to email, so
use US mail to provide them with up to date information.
Expenses
Reunions attendees pay for their own expenses such as accommodations, meals, and transportation. If
expenses are incurred that benefit the group such as: group transportation such as a motor coach, a
group meal, attendees should be apprised of the costs in advance and money should be collected by one
of the organizers – preferably in advance of the reunion.
Your Class Book, photo album and more!
Upon request, IES Abroad will compile a class book with photos and bios of classmates as well as an
online photo album from your study abroad time. Use this link to ask class members to submit their bio
information and photos. IES Abroad can then provide your reunion attendees with:
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copies of the class book (printed and pdf)
a link to the online class photo album (from which photos can be downloaded)
nametags
IES Abroad luggage tags
current IES program information
After the reunion IES Abroad can compile an online photo album of reunion photos for your class.
Visiting Nantes!
IES Abroad in Nantes
The IES Abroad Nantes Program has been housed in the same location since its inception in 1965: 7 rue
des Cadeniers, 44000 Nantes. The 4th floor (French 3rd) was completed since 2004 by the renting of the
3rd floor below (French 2nd), where all the classrooms are now located, and where there is a second
kitchen, with a French Conversation table during lunch. Designed for prospective students, you can see
what Nantes and the Center look like today by taking a virtual tour:
http://www.iesabroad.org/files/youvisit_files/nantes.html
Visiting the IES Abroad Center in Nantes
The IES Abroad Center is located at 7 rue des Cadeniers, 44000 Nantes. Class reunion groups are invited
to visit the Center for a special program when arrangements are made in advance.
Archival Information from Your Time in IES Abroad Nantes
The IES Abroad Nantes Center is able to provide information from your class year during the Center visit:
all students names, university or college and photos per semester since 1967-1968 are available.
Class members are also invited to provide information by emailing digital photos from their year to
[email protected] or by bringing original or copied material which will be catalogued in the IES
Abroad archives. By doing so, you grant permission for IES Abroad to share the photos online with other
IES Abroad alumni and others via Internet sharing sites.
Nantes Homestay Families
Many Nantes families have hosted IES Abroad students for multiple years. Would you like to reconnect
with your family? If so, please contact [email protected] who can check with the Center staff to
see if they are still in touch with your family.
International Travel for US Citizens
Be sure that your passport expiration date extends at least six months beyond your travel dates.
Getting to Nantes
The SNCF rail now connects directly (about three hours) between Charles de Gaulle airport and Nantes.
You can review schedules and book tickets on line at: www.sncf.com. You can also fly directly to Nantes
via several airlines.
Hotels in Nantes
The following hotels can be used by IES Abroad reunion groups (listed from ** to ****):
• Oceania Hotel de Nantes, 24 Rue Crebillon (on the Place Graslin)
• Hôtel Voltaire Opéra, 10 rue Gresset (juste à côté du Centre IES Abroad Nantes), **
• Best Hôtel Nantes, 9 rue du Maréchal de Lattre de Tassigny (près du Centre IES Nantes), **
• Citotel Pommeraye, 2 rue Boileau (entre places Royale et Graslin), **
• Hôtel La Pérouse, 3 allée Duquesne (cours des 50 Otages), ***
• IBIS Styles Nantes, 3 rue du Couëdic (Place Royale), ***
• Hôtel Graslin, 1 rue Piron (place Graslin), ***
• Mercure Centre Grand Hôtel Nantes, 4 rue du Couëdic (Place Royale), ****
• Radisson Blu Hôtel, 6 palce Aristide Briand (ancien Palais de Justice), ****
• OKKO Hôtel, 15bis rue de Strasbourg (près Cathédrale et Château des Ducs), nouvel hôtel
http://www.booking.com/city/fr/nantes.fr.html?aid=305370&label=msn-Gg2HELvF5LvP0qDbgwTieg475515862&utm_campaign=France&utm_medium=cpc&utm_source=bing&utm_term=Nantes%20hotels
Restaurants
The following restaurants can be used as gathering spots and group meals for IES Abroad reunion
groups: (listed from less to more expensive)
• La Casa Nova, 15 rue de Strasbourg
• Le Bistrot du 7, 7 rue Voltaire
• Cocotte, 27 rue Fouré
• Le K Gourmand , 24 rue Paul Bellamy
• Le Bistrot à Gilles, 11bis rue de la Bastille
• Le Montesquieu, 1 rue Montesquieu
• L’Embellie, 14 rue Armand Brossard
• Une Affaire de Goût, 13bis rue Kervégan
• Le Palatium, 1 place Aristide Briand
• Le Break, 9 allée Duquesne
• Le Molière, 2 rue Racine
• Brasserie La Cigale, 4 place Graslin
• La Vie de Château, 5 place de la Duchesse Anne
• Les Petits Saints, 1 place Saint-Vincent
• L’Océanide, 2 rue Paul Bellamy (spécialisé dans le poisson)
• L’Atelier d’Alain, 24 rue des Olivettes
• La Maison Baron-Lefèvre, 33 rue de Rieux
• L’Abelia, 125 bd des Poilus
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L’Atlantide, 16 quai Ernest Renaud (seul restaurant de Nantes étoilé au Guide Michelin)
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Et pour une soirée crêperie : http://www.nantes-tourisme.com/creperies-12815.html
Other Popular Activities
• Château des Ducs de Bretagne and the History of Nantes Museum
• The Gallery of the Machines de l’île; the Marine Worlds Carousel; the Elephant (artistic projects)
• The Lieu Unique, former LU factory, with the LU tower, an art center, a bar/restaurant, a
bookstore
• Le Nid, bar with a panoramic view of the city, on top of the Tour Bretagne
• The Memorial to the Abolition of Slavery, unique in Europe, along the Loire
• Cruises on the Erdre
• The Hanger à Bananes, art centers, restaurants and bars in a former banana-ripening warehouse
on the Île de Nantes
• Trentemoult, a former fishing village
• Shopping in the Bouffay, rue Crébillon, and in boutiques in the historic monument the Passage
Pommeraye
Traveling Around Nantes
It is easy to travel around the city with the TAN system (bus, tram, boat to Trentemoult). 1-hour and 24hour tickets are available.
Through the Tourism office, a Pass Nantes can be purchased for 1, 2, or 3 days. It gives free access to
many attractions and public transportation. http://www.nantes-tourisme.com/