Ideas / Brand experiences / Abroad
The dinner nobody can get into
The side event around a big conference that guests talk about more than the conference itself. Twenty to forty seats, invite-only, no presentation.
How it runs
- 8–12 weeks outGuest list built with your sales team, name by name.
- InvitationsSent personally by the person who knows each guest.
- 48 hours beforeEvery seat confirmed. A short waitlist on standby.
- The nightArrival drinks, dinner with a host at every table, one minute of welcome.
What to know
- The guest list is the product. The menu comes second.
- The seating plan does more work than any speech.
- Pick a night that doesn't clash with the conference's main evening.
Good for
Pipeline with senior buyers, partner relationships.
Not for
Mass awareness. This one is about who, not how many.
Questions planners ask
How many people should we invite for 30 seats?
Invite for the seats you have, not double. Personal invitations confirmed two days before rarely leave gaps; mass invitations always do.
Should we present at the dinner?
No. A one-minute welcome at most. The value is the conversation.
Which night works best?
Avoid the conference's main party night. The first evening often works best, before everyone's calendar is full.
Thinking of doing this?
Borrow the idea, it's yours. If you'd like a hand, or just a second opinion on whether it suits your group, write to me. I produce ideas like this one at Sorry, No Polar Bears, a Helsinki studio I co-run.
Also strangely doable
