How it works
How an executive dinner works, from question to Report.
A Meridain dinner runs in five parts: interviews before the show, one sharp question, a moderated table, a Brief within 24 hours and a Report within 7 business days. Here is each part, who does what and what you get.
Before the show
The guest list and the question.
The table is only as good as who sits at it. We start with the buyers you most need to move.
On a scoping call, we agree the titles, segments and named accounts that matter to your pipeline. We build the list with you from your accounts and our own network, then handle invitations, confirmations and reminders. Each invitation comes from a person, runs under ninety words and names one question and one date.
We secure a private room near the show floor and set a menu that serves the conversation, not the other way round.
Signal tier and above
The interviews.
In the weeks before the show, we interview 25 or more executives who fit your buyer profile.
The interviews are short and recorded, and executives complete them on their own time. We read across them for patterns: where buyers agree, where they hesitate and what they wish vendors would say instead. Those patterns shape the one question we take to the table, and they give the Report a wider base than one evening.
The night
The table.
Your ten to twelve target buyers, a private room, a moderator and two hours.
Phones down, glasses up. The moderator opens with the question and keeps the clock. Dinner is three or four courses, served around the conversation. Your team hosts and listens. Nobody pitches, ever. That rule is why senior buyers say yes.
The conversation is recorded in audio, with every guest’s consent, so we can quote accurately. A camera is in the room at arrival and at close only, and only for guests who have signed a media release.
After the table
Four deliverables, each with a job.
The Meridain Brief
The headline themes while your team is still at the show and can act on them.
The Meridain Report
A written synthesis of what your buyers said, what it means for your go-to-market and the next moves in priority order. The document your CRO takes upstairs.
The Meridain Debrief
We walk your leaders through the Report on a recorded call and edit it into 3 short internal podcast episodes for Slack, email or your intranet.
Meridain Battlecards
The Report rebuilt as tools your sales team uses in live deals, plus a 60-day executive follow-up sequence after the dinner.
Questions sponsors ask
The practical details.
Who moderates the dinner?
A Meridain co-founder or a senior strategist we trust with the room. The moderator owns the question and the clock, so your team can listen instead of steering.
Is the conversation recorded?
Yes, audio only, with every guest’s consent, so the Brief and Report quote buyers accurately. There are no cameras during the conversation, and no guest is quoted by name outside your team without written permission.
What does our team need to do?
Give us your target accounts and the question you most need answered, join a scoping call, and send one or two hosts to the dinner. We handle the guest list, the room, the menu, the moderation and every deliverable.
What if fewer buyers confirm than we planned?
We commit to a minimum of 8 confirmed senior buyers at the table, written into the statement of work. If we miss it, we adjust scope or refund pro rata.
How far ahead do we need to sign?
About five weeks before the show for the Table tier and about seven weeks for tiers with pre-dinner interviews, which need time to schedule and synthesize.
Book a call
Pick the show. We’ll build the table.
Tell us which show, which buyers and the question you need answered. We’ll tell you plainly whether a dinner is the right tool.