Planning a Reunion: IES Abroad Reunion Toolkit: Paris French

Planning a Reunion:
IES Abroad Reunion Toolkit:
Paris French Studies and Paris BIA
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
current IES program information
After the reunion IES Abroad can compile an online photo album of reunion photos for your class.
Visiting Paris!
IES Abroad Paris: What Happened to Rue du Dome and Boulevard de Sébastopol?
The original location of IES Abroad Paris French Studies was 3, rue du Dome, 75016 Paris, in a private
apartment building a few minutes from the Arc de Triomphe. In 1966, the French Studies Center moved
to 11, boulevard Sébastopol in the first arrondissement, directly behind Chatelêt. The Center moved to
the Rue Daguerre location in 1971, and students have been enjoying the bustling market street and
lively Montparnasse neighborhood ever since.
Visiting the IES Abroad French Studies Center in Paris
The IES Abroad Paris French Studies Center in Paris is now located at 77, rue Daguerre, 75014. 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 Paris
The Paris French Studies Center may be able to provide information from your class year during the
Center visit. 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.
Paris BIA Center
IES Abroad opened a second Center in Paris in 2007: Paris Business and International Affairs (BIA)
located in the 15th arrondisement. The new Center offers courses taught in English in Business,
International Relations, Economics, Political Science and other disciplines, and partners with Novancia
Business School Paris and the Institut Catholique de Paris.
International Travel for US Citizens
Be sure that your passport expiration date extends at least six months beyond your travel dates.
Hotels in Paris
The following hotels can be used by IES Abroad reunion groups:
 Hotel Citadines Montparnasse, 67 avenue du Maine, 75014
 Hotel du Midi, 4 Avenue Rene Coty, 75014
 Hotel Montparnasse Daguerre, 94 rue Daguerre, 75014
 Hotel Villa Madame, 44 rue Madame, 75006
 Hotel Royal Saint Germain, 159 rue de Rennes, 75006
 Hotel des Saints Peres, 65 rue des Saints Pères, 75006
 Best Western A la Villa des Artistes, 9 rue de la Grande Chaumière, 75006
 Hotel Odessa, 28 rue d’Odessa, 75014
 Hotel Saint-Louis Marais, 17 rue du Petit Musc, 75004
 Hyatt Paris Madeleine, 24 boulevard Malesherbes, 75008
 Hotel Duo, 11 rue du Temple, 75004
Restaurants
The following restaurants can be used as gathering spots and group meals for IES Abroad reunion
groups:
 Les Petits Plats, 39 Rue des Plantes, 75014
 Le Pharamond, 24 Rue de la Grande Truanderie, 75001 (has a private room on floor 1)
 Le Coupe Chou, 11 Rue de Lanneau, 75005 (has a semi private room in the back)
 L’Auberge de la Reine Blanche, 30 Rue Saint-Louis en I’lle, 75004
 Cafe Rubis, 165 Ave du Maine, 75014 (closer to IES Paris Center and has a private room)
 Au Moulin Vert, 34 Bis Rue des Plantes, 75014 (private room upstairs)
 Chez Francoise, Rue Robert Esnault-Peterie, 75007 (private room)
 Cafe du Commerce, 51 Rue du Commerce, 75015 (private room)
 La Maison Courtine, 157 avenue du Maine, 75014
 Le Grand Bistro, 108 avenue de Villiers, 75017
 Chez Françoise, rue Robert Esnault-Pelterie, 75007
 Le Café du Commerce, 51 rue du Commerce, 75015
 Café Louis Philippe, 66 quai de l’Hotel de Ville, 75004
 Au Moulin Vert, 34bis rue des Plantes, 75014
 Restaurant La Baleine, 47 rue Cuvier, 75005
Other Popular Activities
 Concert at Notre Dame Cathedral
 Walking tours of Paris Neighborhoods – We regularly work with English-speaking guides Wafaa
Lenkey ([email protected]), Noha Escartin ([email protected]), and Valérie LeclercqGueye ([email protected] ), Preston Mohr, Paris 03-04
(www.parisbytheglass.com)
 Dinner at Café du Flore
 Musée d’Orsay, L’Orangerie, Le Musée Rodin, Le Musée Carnavalet
 Shopping at Porte de Vanves Flea Market or any of the 82 open air food markets across Paris
 Boat ride on the Canal St Martin
 Dinner on a Bateau Mouche – We recommend Les Bateaux Parisiens or Le Calife
 A picnic on the steps of Sacré Cœur Cathedral
 Falafel in the Marais – Check out L’As du Fallafel, 32 rue des Rosiers, 75004
 Enjoy Vietnamese cuisine at Pho Banh Cuon 14, 129 avenue de Choisy, 75013 or Tin Tin, 17 rue
Louis Bonnet, 75011
 Enjoy shopping at rue du Commerce, rue de Rennes, or rue de Rivoli
Traveling Around Paris
Pass Navigo, will give you unlimited access to the excellent Paris public transport system on a weekly or
monthly basis. You can also purchase the Paris Visite pass, providing unlimited access for 1, 2, 3, or 5
consecutive days. Purchase your passes at a tabac or Metro guichet if you would like to use an American
credit card, or at the electronic pay points in any Metro station using cash.