Alumni FOMO: St. Joe's Reunion Weekend & Why Your Alumni Event Photos Are Really for Next Year
I went through this gallery and was thinking, “wow this looks so much fun - I wish I was there!” (oh yeah, I was). That’s the feeling your alumni event photos should evoke. Connection, affection, and maybe just a little bit of longing.
In September we photographed Saint Joseph's University's Reunion Weekend, including the Young Alumni Beer Garden and the Golden Hawks reunion. It was a full weekend of old friends finding each other again, some who hadn’t seen their classmates in decades. Hugs, big laughs, raised glasses, and lots of "you haven't changed at all," were the order of the day.
The obvious job here is documenting the event. The bigger job is giving the alumni marketing team something to work with for the next twelve months.
A reunion lasts a weekend, but the photos keep working. They can be used in:
Next year's save-the-date and invitations. Real faces from this year sell next year better than any graphic.
Alumni newsletters and magazine recaps. People open these to look for themselves and their friends.
Social media. Every tag + social share spreads the event to someone who didn't come.
Giving and engagement campaigns. Photos that show what the community looks like and why it's worth staying connected.
At alumni events I'm watching for the moments where people are connecting, not just snapping posed group shots.
You know that reunion moment. Someone spots a long lost friend across the room and the hug that follows (see Exhibit A at the end of this blog post).
The groups. Old teams, roommates, and friend circles back together. These are the photos that get shared.
The atmosphere. The space, the energy, the details, so people who weren't there can picture themselves in it.
A range of ages. Young alumni at the beer garden and longtime grads across the event, so every audience sees people like them.
Alumni engagement runs on FOMO. When an alum who skipped this year’s event sees their classmates having a great time, it gets them thinking: I should go next time.
That only happens if the photos exist, they're good, and they show the experience instead of just the headcount. Without the photos, the weekend is just a nice memory for the people who were there. With them, it becomes easy marketing content for next year.
Planning a reunion, homecoming, or alumni event? Let's make sure you leave with photos that work all year. Get in touch and we'll talk about what your alumni team needs.
