Alumni events and reunions

University events

We hold a wide range of lectures and events throughout the year which are open to alumni and members of the public.

University reunions

If you’re looking to organise a reunion with your university friends, we’ve put some useful information together that we hope will inspire you to get started!

Whether you graduated last year or 40 years ago, you are part of the University of Derby global alumni community. A reunion is a perfect excuse to come back to campus, meet up with your university friends and reminisce about the moments you spent together.

If you would like to come back to campus to reflect on your time at Derby, we can facilitate this. Please contact us at alumni@derby.ac.uk for more information.

Our previous reunions

Take a look at some of our previous reunion pictures.

What? When? Where?

Format

Think about the type and style of event you would like to have. Informal or formal? Networking or quiz? A visit to campus or a night out in Derby? Friendship group or society? In-person or virtual?

Set a date

When would you like to hold your event? Would you like it to coincide with an anniversary or memorable date such as when you graduated or started university? If you want to hold your event on campus, consider dates outside of the semester. For more formal events we suggest you start the planning around twelve months in advance, with a shorter timeframe needed for informal events. Try to give guests as much notice as possible to maximise attendance, perhaps send a ‘Save the Date’ notice while you’re working out the details.

Find a venue

What type of venue would you like for your event? Would it be suitable for the numbers and needs of the alumni planning to attend?

If you want to visit or hold your event on campus, the Alumni Relations team can help you to book a venue. Here are some options to consider where our alumni are offered an exclusive discount.

Who’s coming?

Get others involved in organising

You don’t have to do this on your own. The other alumni attending can help plan and promote the event to their alumni networks.

Guestlist

Who are you looking to invite to the reunion? Will it be everyone from your year group or the people you were friends with? Will partners and children also be invited? Will it be sports or society members you were involved with? Halls or private residence friends? The organiser will be responsible for sourcing, inviting and managing the responses from guests.

Promoting the reunion

The Alumni Relations team can help promote your event through our  and social media channels to encourage attendance. It’s always advisable to get attendees to book their place in advance so you can manage and flex your plans depending on the number of attendees.

Social media is one of the best ways to promote and keep alumni updated with your plans. We can support this via our dedicated alumni social media channels. Perhaps consider setting up a Facebook event, LinkedIn community or WhatsApp group so those interested in attending can find out more.

You can ask others who are helping you to organise or plan to attend the event to reach out to their networks too.

Make sure you take photos during your reunion and tag our alumni feeds in so we can share, like and comment.

Facebook Twitter

Invitations

It’s always best to give guests plenty of notice and a specific date to respond by.

When planning larger, more formal events, Eventbrite is a useful online tool which is simple to set up and free to use. It is also useful for managing bookings too.

A Facebook event is also a great way to help build momentum. Don’t forget to include whether partners or children are invited. If providing catering, you might need to ask about dietary needs and access needs to make the event as enjoyable as possible for all guests. Your venue should be able to guide you more with this.

Will there be a cost for guests to attend? If so, make sure the ticket price covers the cost of the event for each person. Consider whether you need a deposit for the venue or catering too.

Campus tours and alumni gifts

Commemorate, support and remember your time at Derby with our alumni merchandise and celebratory gifts. All university branded merchandise is available via our online shop. We can also support your reunion event on the day with our branded alumni banners and marketing collateral. Contact us at alumni@derby.ac.uk for more information.