Planning a Reunion: Your IES Abroad Reunion Toolkit: Freiburg/EU
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 over 90,000 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 312-261- 5069.
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. Also, many IES Abroad reunions are organized by a group of two to four people. 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? Especially for those who are traveling from out of town and will incur the greatest expense?
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. 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.
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: a reunion booklet with classmate information, 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.
Giveaways Your group may choose to compile a class booklet with photos and short bios of classmates. Email makes it relatively simple to gather this information. If your class decides to compile a book, please email [email protected] for an easy to use template. Reunion organizers should plan to make available on site, or prepare in advance nametags for all attendees. IES Abroad can provide your reunion attendees with complimentary IES Abroad luggage tags and current IES program information.
Don't forget to send pictures We want to feature pictures and stories gathered from alumni reunions in the Exchange alumni magazine, so please be sure to send us photos and news from your classmates. Please encourage other participants to do so as well. If you have further questions about organizing a reunion, please contact [email protected] or call Jennifer Hodge Jerzyk (Nantes ’81) 312-261-5069.
International Travel Be sure that your passport expiration date extends at least six months beyond your travel dates.
Visiting the IES Abroad Center in Freiburg There are two IES Abroad Centers located in Freiburg.
The IES Abroad Freiburg Center in Freiburg is now located at Erbprinzenstrasse 12. The IES Abroad EU Center in Freiburg is now located at Werthmannstrasse 11.
Alumni will visit and tour their respective Centers on Friday, October 2, 2015. If classes are in session, you may have an opportunity to meet current students.
Archival Information from Your Time in Freiburg The Freiburg 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.
Hotels in Freiburg
Hotel Victoria Eisenbahnstrasse 54 79098 Freiburg Black Forest Hostel Kartäuserstrasse 33 79102 Freiburg Designhotel am Stadtgarten Karlstrasse 12 79104 Freiburg Freiburg am Konzerthaus Konrad- Adenauer-Platz 2 79098 Freiburg Hotel Barbara Poststrasse 4 79098 Freiburg Hotel Schiller Hildastrasse 2 79102 Freiburg Mercure Hotel Freiburg am Munster Auf der Zinnen 1 79098 Freiburg Novotel Colombi Hotel Rotteckring 16 79098 Freiburg Ringhotel zum roten Bären Oberlinden 12 79098 Freiburg
Restaurants Restaurant Dattler Located on the Schloßberg (near to Freiburg’s city center) from where you have a picturesque view over the old Freiburg city center. Elegant ambience and delicious cuisine, partly traditional “Badisch”-regional food, are combined in this institution. Probably that is the reason why IES Abroad Freiburg has its yearly Thanksgiving dinner here. www.dattler.de
Greiffenegg As the Dattler, this restaurant is also located on Schloßberg. So the view is comparable remarkable. The restaurant is specialized for larger group events (as also the Dattler). IES Abroad Freiburg usually celebrates the end of the summer program with its students here. The great beer garden called Kastaniengarten is probably the most popular one in Freiburg. www.greiffenegg.de
Feierling Brauhaus und Biergarten Gerberau 11/15. Home-brewed beer, an old haunt of IES students! Shady beer garden for hot summer days and evenings, and house brewery on 3 levels for rainy days and cold evenings: www.feierling.de
Freiburg Bar Kaiser-Joseph-Strasse 278, near IES. This is a lifestyle pub with good food and nice atmosphere. Karaoke on Thursday nights: www.freiburg-bar.net
Oma`s Küche Hildastrasse 66. A nice place for having regional food. There is outdoor seating, Sunday brunch and is very popular with IES students: www.omas-kueche.de
Schlappen Löwenstrasse 2. This is a place that’s always crowded but worth it. There is good food and drink and it’s open until 3 am on Fridays and Saturdays. Smoking is allowed in the back room: www.schlappen.com
Other Popular Activities Freiburger Münster This famous church is Freiburg’s landmark. You have a remarkable view from the tower. www.freiburgermuenster.info Mon-Sat 10 am – 5 pm Sun 1 pm – 7.30 pm
Freiburger Münster Markt The great farmers market of Freiburg where you can get fresh regional products and delicious Bratwurst. Mon – Sat 7.30 am – 2 pm
Augustinermuseum Augustinerplatz 1-3. This is one of the most well-known museums in Freiburg. They exhibit upper Rhine medieval and baroque sculpture, paintings, tapestries, stained glass windows and stone figures from the Freiburg Münster. http://museen.de/augustinermuseum-freiburg-im-breisgau.html Tues-Sun 10 am – 5 pm
Stadttheater Freiburg Bertholdstrasse 46. The Stadttheater is the biggest theater in Freiburg with a variety of plays. To view the performance schedule, check out: www.theater.freiburg.de
Hiking There are several good places for a hike in the Black Forest e.g. Schluchsee, Schauinsland or Feldberg. www.bergwelt-suedschwarzwald.de/de/wandern/
“Partywagen” As a group activity it is also possible to book a so-called “party-tram”: A 2 hour ride through Freiburg in your own “Partywagen”. Its 199€ and every extra hour cost 88€. While you enjoy yourselves inside the tram with drinks and music you will be driven around the Freiburg city center. Early reservation is required. http://www.vag-freiburg.de/service/partywagen.html
Traveling Around Freiburg It is possible to purchase a Regio24 ticket for local trams, busses and trains which is valid for 24 hours and costs 5,50€ per person (including 4 children) or for a group ticket (5 adults) it would be 9,90€. http://www.vag-freiburg.de