Planning a Reunion: Your IES Abroad Reunion Toolkit: Paris French

Planning a Reunion:
Your IES Abroad Reunion Toolkit:
Paris French Studies
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 312-2615069.
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. 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.
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. Alumni
will visit and tour the Center on Friday, June 19, 2015. If classes are in session, you may have an
opportunity to meet current students.
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). 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.
Hotels in Paris
The following hotels can be used by IES Abroad reunion groups:
 Hotel Citadines Montparnasse, 67 avenue du Maine, 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
 La Maison Courtine, 157 avenue du Maine, 75014
 Le Bistrot des Pingouins, 79 rue Daguerre, 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] )
 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
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Dinner on a Bateau Mouche – We recommend Les Bateaux Parisiens
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
The carte orange has been replaced by the Pass Navigo, which 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.