🧠🍽️ Want to build community, spark innovation, and have better conversations? Start with dinner.

When advising founders and agency leaders, one of the most common things I get asked about isn’t a growth hack or a framework or a funnel — it’s a supper club that I used to host.

From Toronto to SXSW, CES, C2 Montréal and beyond, I organized intimate dinners for curious, purpose-driven innovators. The idea? Simple: bring together 10 strangers around a table, share a meal, and let the magic happen.

Food is connection.  These dinners weren’t just about networking — they were about belonging. In a world that feels increasingly polarized and transactional, sitting down with strangers from different backgrounds in a psychologically safe space feels downright radical. And strangers aren’t so strange when they have the chance to listen, share, and be heard.

Inspired by models like Death Over Dinner and Generations Over Dinner, I saw how powerful it is to gather around one uniting thread — in my case, a shared passion for innovation and impact.

💡 What have I learned from hosting these? So much. Often more from the people I was “mentoring” than they learned from me. So, in the spirit of sharing — here are 10 things that worked:

1. 10 is the magic number – 10 people is enough get everyone excited about big ideas and also create space for smaller intimate conversations. It is also still small enough for one conversation where everyone can be involved.
   
2. Curate thoughtfully – Mix it up. Screen for intention. Prioritize diversity and make sure most folks don’t already know each other.
   
3. No pitching/selling allowed – This is sacred ground. Connection > conversion.
   
4. Don’t share your guests contact info – Let guests share contact info themselves. No surprise follow-ups.
   
5. Pick a unique space – Private rooms, a bit of a vibe, and accessibility matter.
   
6. Guests pay in advance – Organize a Prix fixe meal.  Sell tickets in advance. Keeps commitment high and minimizes FOMO motivated RSVPs and no-shows.
   
7. Cocktail hour matters (with non-alcoholic options available, of course) – Share the agenda, be clear on cocktail time and dinner start time.  People arrive at different times; let them ease in and have time to chat with each other before choosing their seat.
   
8. Consistency matters. I hosted quarterly local dinners and timed others with major events like CES, SXSW, Collision, and C2 Montreal—offering a seat to out-of-towners who didn’t want to dine alone. I’d book a table for 10 and invite people I met during the day or connected with on social media.
   
9. Don’t over-program the conversation – One or two prompts to kick things off, then let it flow.
   
10. And most importantly — set the tone – Your energy as a host is everything.

🌍 I’m sharing this in the hope that more of you start your own supper clubs. We need more spaces for shared stories and soulful connection. If you’re thinking about hosting one and have questions — DM me, and I’ll happily share more.

Let’s build a world where more people feel seen, heard, and welcomed at the table.