BY ANY MEANS NECESSARY

With travel comes stories, weave a tale in your mind on where this year’s dinner might take place and what connected adventure could follow or precede it. Then cast the characters, outline the plot points, and assume the first-person narrative voice. Here’s where the magic begins.

SITE VISIT

You will be left deliberately in the dark regarding dinner coordinates up until the eleventh hour, however, the generating of atmosphere will remain a crucial component. Free yourself of the guesswork, and dare we say, practicalities, by dressing and packing for a venue of your dreams. The fun part will be seeing how it all translates when the proverbial gong is sound.

TABLING THE AGENDA

The predominant sight line will be your dinner mates and your do-it-yourself vignettes and table settings. After ensuring that the correct placement of flatware, china, glassware, and linens has been achieved, add visual interest through the exploration of themes, scale, and dimension.