From the judges: This was an impressively produced live, virtual event with in-person food pick-up tie-in reminiscent of the on-campus event. Also, the coordination of interactivity during the live event via online chat and live requests for musicians was excellent and engaging. Strong messaging related to the school's 178-year history of surviving pandemics.
Punahou Reunion Week
Category
Alumni Relations > Alumni Relations Pivot
Description
Award: Silver
Institution: Punahou School
Title of Entry: Punahou Reunion Week
About this Entry: Punahou School’s annual Reunion Week draws more than 3,000 reunioners and their guests to our Honolulu, Hawai‘i campus each June. The celebratory week culminates on a Saturday, with a signature Lū‘au event. In April 2020, when it became clear that the pandemic would prevent an in-person gathering, Punahou’s Alumni Relations team instead began planning for a virtual Lū‘au. Our one hour-long live broadcast was held on June 6, 2020 – the same day our in-person event would have taken place – and was streamed on Facebook and YouTube. The program was hosted by alumni TV personalities and included live musical performances, traditional program elements like the Hawaiian welcome chant and 25th and 50th Class Reunion hula performances, appreciation for Reunion Class committees and school songs and cheers. Traditional Hawaiian food, typically served at our in-person event, was available for advance purchase and curbside pickup, and guests were provided a complimentary plumeria lei. The use of Facebook allowed our worldwide alumni community to watch the live show as a shared experience and many used the online platform’s comments section to greet each other, share memories and make song requests from the live musicians.