Smoothing the process for planning the perfect family reunion

Two years ago, the Nix family held its reunion at Cheney Lake. This year, organizer Tami Bond wanted something different because the reunion would include the celebration of her parents’ 60th wedding anniversary.

The Hugoton resident turned to Go Wichita Convention & Visitors Bureau’s Family Reunion Planning Service for help. Go Wichita introduced Bond to the Disciples Center at Camp Tawakoni.

“The camp was just what we needed,” Bond said. “They had bunk beds, a kitchen, a pool with a slide. There is a fire pit and we made s’mores and sat around telling stories. We played basketball and volleyball and cooked out on the grill. We just had a great time.”

Relatives came from Kansas,Nevada,North Carolina,Oklahoma and Texas. Go Wichita helped Bond find a vendor who created custom-designed, colorcoded T-shirts. The shirts made it easy to keep track of which relative belonged to
which part of the family.

Go Wichita created its Family Reunion Planning Service to help people plan an event that can be as large as a business convention. The service includes a planner’s checklist, hotel selection assistance, attraction identification, tour planning, plus dining and catering assistance.

The service is ready to help any size reunion. Darlene Kunc of Beatrice, Neb., said her cousins agreed that Wichita was the best city for five couples in their 70s and 80s who attended the Breunsbach family reunion in March. They live in Beatrice, Garden City, Kansas City, St. Louis and Tulsa.

Smoothing the process for planning the perfect family reunion However, they had limited knowledge about Wichita. Kunc got help from Adrienn Massaglia, Go Wichita destination sales coordinator, to find a hotel and a list of museums for the group to visit.

“If not for Adrienn, I don’t know what I would have done,” Kunc said. “She sent me information and made suggestions about activities. She helped us find a hotel. Adrienn was so wonderful and helpful, our reunion worked out really well.”

Hotel sales personnel say they try to stay flexible when working with family reunions. It helps when the reunion
organizer has an idea of how many relatives to expect and a general idea about
the types of activities being planned.

“We had one family that just wanted to gather around the pool and let the kids play,” said Karen Hurley,
director of sales at Residence Inn by Marriott East at Plazzio.

“Another family used a meeting room to hang out, visit and watch a movie – sort of turning it into a big living room.”

Hurley encourages family reunion planners to check if there are any major weekend events scheduled that might create a conflict for booking a hotel, then make the reservation as early as possible.

For more information about Go Wichita’s Family Reunion Planning Service,
contact Adrienn Massaglia at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or call 316.265.2800.