How many prospects do I need to invite to fill a dinner?

It’s really quite simple.

If that math scares you—and it should; I have no idea what it means either—you can just read what each variable means and you’ll get the gist.

If you are working for a “hot” brand, you’ll need to invite fewer prospects than if no one has heard of you, or if the brand has been around so long that everyone already assumes they know what they need to know about you.

If sales and marketing are very aligned on pipeline generation, and sellers take dinners as seriously as they should, you’ll be able to invite fewer people than if marketing has to do it all themselves out of the MAP.

If the event sounds intriguing, it’s easier to fill. If the title sounds like a webinar, you’re making it harder on everyone to pitch the dinner. Come up with a creative title for the dinner. Spend time on the description to ensure it sounds different from every boring executive dinner that has come before it.

And, if the restaurant is new or cool or really hard to get into, that will also make it a lot easier. If every executive in the area has eaten at your restaurant dozens of times in their lives already, it’s a tougher sell. One nice thing about restaurants that are hard to get into for a reservation for two is that they are often much easier to get into for a dinner for 20.

As a rule of thumb, plan on a 10:1 invite-to-attendee ratio—a 20-person dinner usually demands 200+ touches. But stack a hot concept, an irresistible venue, and an aligned sales team, and you’ll pull off a full house effortlessly. If balancing those variables sounds like a full-time headache, let’s talk!