Planning a Reunion: Your IES Abroad Reunion Toolkit: Nantes

Planning a Reunion:
Your IES Abroad Reunion Toolkit: Nantes
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.
Getting to Nantes
The SNCF rail now connects directly (about three hours) between Charles de Gaulle airport and Nantes.
You can review schedules and book tickets on line at: www.sncf.com. You can also fly to Nantes via
several airlines.
What Happened to the IES Abroad Center?
The IES Abroad Nantes Program is still housed in the original location you were at during your
experience abroad there: 7 rue des Cadeniers, 44000 Nantes. The 4th floor (French 3rd) was completed
since 2004 by the renting of the 3rd floor below (French 2nd), where all the classrooms are now located,
and where there is a second kitchen, with a French Conversation table during lunch. Designed for
prospective students, you can see what Nantes and the Center look like today by taking a virtual tour:
http://www.iesabroad.org/files/youvisit_files/nantes.html
Visiting the IES Abroad Center in Nantes
The IES Abroad Center is located at 7 rue des Cadeniers, 44000 Nantes. Alumni will visit and tour the
Center on Monday, April 27st. If classes are in session, you may have an opportunity to meet current
students.
You may also have the opportunity to attend (for free) the stage performance in French given by current
Spring ‘15 IES Abroad students enrolled in the TH343 Theatre Production course on April 27st at 8.30
pm.
Archival Information from Your Time in IES Abroad Nantes
The IES Abroad Nantes Center is able to provide information from your class year during the Center visit:
all students names, university or college and photos per semester since 1967-1968 are available.
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.
Nantes Homestay Families
Many Nantes families have hosted IES Abroad students for multiple years. Would you like to reconnect
with your family? If so, please contact [email protected] who can check with the Center staff to
see if they are still in touch with your family.
Hotels in Nantes
The following hotels can be used by IES Abroad reunion groups (listed from ** to ****):
 Hôtel Voltaire Opéra, 10 rue Gresset (juste à côté du Centre IES Abroad Nantes), **
 Best Hôtel Nantes, 9 rue du Maréchal de Lattre de Tassigny (près du Centre IES Nantes), **
 Citotel Pommeraye, 2 rue Boileau (entre places Royale et Graslin), **
 Hôtel La Pérouse, 3 allée Duquesne (cours des 50 Otages), ***
 IBIS Styles Nantes, 3 rue du Couëdic (Place Royale), ***
 Hôtel Graslin, 1 rue Piron (place Graslin), ***
 Mercure Centre Grand Hôtel Nantes, 4 rue du Couëdic (Place Royale), ****
 Radisson Blu Hôtel, 6 palce Aristide Briand (ancien Palais de Justice), ****
 OKKO Hôtel, 15bis rue de Strasbourg (près Cathédrale et Château des Ducs), nouvel hôtel
http://www.booking.com/city/fr/nantes.fr.html?aid=305370&label=msn-Gg2HELvF5LvP0qDbgwTieg475515862&utm_campaign=France&utm_medium=cpc&utm_source=bing&utm_term=Nantes%20hotels
Restaurants
The following restaurants can be used as gathering spots and group meals for IES Abroad reunion
groups: (listed from less to more expensive)
 La Casa Nova, 15 rue de Strasbourg
 Le Bistrot du 7, 7 rue Voltaire
 Cocotte, 27 rue Fouré
 Le K Gourmand , 24 rue Paul Bellamy
 Le Bistrot à Gilles, 11bis rue de la Bastille
 Le Montesquieu, 1 rue Montesquieu
 L’Embellie, 14 rue Armand Brossard
 Une Affaire de Goût, 13bis rue Kervégan
 Le Palatium, 1 place Aristide Briand
 Le Break, 9 allée Duquesne
 Le Molière, 2 rue Racine
 La Table des Roy, 4 rue des Trois Croissants (restaurant tenu par un IES Nantes homestay, Masterchef)
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Brasserie La Cigale, 4 place Graslin
La Vie de Château, 5 place de la Duchesse Anne
Les Petits Saints, 1 place Saint-Vincent
L’Océanide, 2 rue Paul Bellamy (spécialisé dans le poisson)
L’Atelier d’Alain, 24 rue des Olivettes
La Maison Baron-Lefèvre, 33 rue de Rieux
L’Abelia, 125 bd des Poilus
L’Atlandide, 16 quai Ernest Renaud (seul restaurant de Nantes étoilé au Guide Michelin)
Et pour une soirée crêperie : http://www.nantes-tourisme.com/creperies-12815.html
Other Popular Activities
 Château des Ducs de Bretagne and the History of Nantes Museum
 The Gallery of the Machines de l’île; the Marine Worlds Carousel; the Elephant (artistic projects)
 The Lieu Unique, former LU factory, with the LU tower, an art center, a bar/restaurant, a
bookstore
 Le Nid, bar with a panoramic view of the city, on top of the Tour Bretagne
 The Memorial to the Abolition of Slavery, unique in Europe, along the Loire
 Cruises on the Erdre
 The Hanger à Bananes, art centers, restaurants and bars in a former banana-ripening warehouse
on the Île de Nantes
 Trentemoult, a former fishing village
 Shopping in the Bouffay, rue Crébillon, and in boutiques in the historic monument the Passage
Pommeraye
Traveling Around Nantes
It is easy to travel around the city with the TAN system (bus, tram, boat to Trentemoult).
1-hour and 24-hour tickets are available.
Through the Tourism office, a Pass Nantes can be purchased for 1, 2, or 3 days. It gives free access to
many attractions and public transportation. http://www.nantes-tourisme.com/

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