Planning a Clan Gathering?

Planning a Clan Gathering takes some organisation and is a great opportunity for you to meet other family members, share history and have a good get together. Have you ever thought about organising a Family or Clan Gathering? The task can seem a daunting one, but here at Hall of Names, we regularly speak to experts that can help.

In this article, we share our tips for organising a clan gathering, to bring together worldwide members of a family or clan. It’s a great opportunity for people who have a genetic, historic and cultural link to meet and have a good time. So how do you organise the event? Here are our top tips for bringing together your Scottish family!

1. Start by finding an interested group of people

They would have to be committed to the task, carry out what is required and communicate! This is the most important aspect of organising a gathering – communication! Without it you are lost, so make sure the people you have on board will do this.

2. Form a committee

Form a committee to help organise the gathering and share the responsibility. It’s not easy when there’s lots of people involved so share out the tasks involved.

3. Planning a Clan Gathering – The practicalities

Once your committee’s in place, you need to select a venue and ask one or two of your committee to investigate. Make sure you know what you want from the venue. For example, do you need conference facilities for speakers? Do you want a gala dinner? Armed with these basic requirements you can then get costings. If your chosen venue is a hotel, then they will probably do a good deal for a weekend stay for your guests.

4. Speakers

Your committee may know of speakers who you can approach to give talks. Some speakers will only charge a small fee. If you are thinking of arranging a tour around your chosen area, now is the time to get some prices from local coach companies. They will probably all charge around the same, so choose the one you are most comfortable with.

5. Music

If you are having an evening meal, it is always good to have some music; for example, you might traditional musicians, but that is personal choice.

6. Tickets

You may need to issue tickets for the various events and one of your committee could obtain competitive prices. When setting your ticket price, remember to add a little on for contingency – just in case you have a shortfall!

7. Spread the word

Then the hard part begins – getting the crowd in! By planning a clan gathering it is important to advertise your event widely, through local papers, social media, church newsletters, local and national TV/radio stations and of course the all-important word of mouth. Prepare some flyers which can be displayed in libraries, post offices, shops etc. In fact, anywhere that has a notice board.

8. Enjoy yourselves

Planning a Clan Gathering is not an easy task! After all the hard work, it’s time to enjoy the event itself! Good luck with your plans! You can check out our clan histories here.