Emory in the City has successful debut!

From Atlanta to Galax, from Charleston to Nashville, E&H alumni turned out in great numbers to support the first ever “Emory in the City” event. The idea was fairly simple: On a single night, alums would gather for happy hour in a variety of cities. It was a way to meet fellow alumni and a chance to get together with old friends. And, of course, it was an opportunity to show some Emory pride!

Fifteen events took place on May 18. Each event began around 6 pm, each in a location chosen by area alumni. Local organizers were the key to the success, and the alumni office expressed gratitude for the great leadership shown by alumni. “We felt bad that we couldn’t get a staff member to each event, but local alumni leaders took the ball and ran! In each location we had terrific volunteers who greeted guests, made table decorations, took pictures, and handed out information. The alumni really stepped up to the challenge!”

The idea was “borrowed” from another school, and was initiated for E&H grads by the E&H Young Alumni Council. Their hope was that this sort of event would have particular appeal to young alumni, but they welcomed alumni of any age.  Engaging recent grads is often a challenge due to busy schedules, so organizers were pleased that so many supported this event.

This was also an experiment in using email and social media to promote an event.  No postal mailings went out for this event. Email was utilized, and Twitter, and Facebook; predominantly Facebook.  It looks as though there were over 150 participants, so it is altogether likely that this plan of action will be attempted again – in particular for events where the target is recent graduates.

Organizers are making notes about what to do next time, and there are plans in the works to try this again in a few months. If you’re interested in participating or organizing an event, contact the alumni office (alumni@ehc.edu). If you’d like to be involved with the E&H Young Alumni Council, contact Elizabeth Hughes (ekdhughes@gmail.com).  Meanwhile, check out photos from this year’s event and get excited about the next one….which is no doubt coming soon to a town near you!

To see pictures from the events, click here.