Network Lunch

If you are planning a network lunch (or dinner), here are some useful tips:

Picking a Date/Location

1. Pick a date, location, and restaurant with the following in mind:

Broad theme such as (Fine Arts, Marketers, Not-for-Profits, etc.)
Restaurant that is not noisy and allows large groups to sit close together
Location that is convenient to a Metro subway station or for drivers

2. Make reservations:

Minimum of 10 people (we get between 10 to 30 people signed up, 25-50% no show)
Under Carnegie Mellon’s name and your name
12:00 to 1:30 p.m. (or 1 1/2 hours)
Ask for a semi-private room or quiet part of the restaurant (private rooms usually require a fee, so do not reserve a private room)
Ask about menu options such as group packages
Do not sign any contracts nor guarantee any minimums
Ask about individual checks for payment

3. Plan to call the restaurant one or two days prior to the event to confirm the minimum number of people, taking into consideration that there will be a 25% to 50% no show rate.

Promoting

Notify Astrid Rapp or Lori Weiss with the details so a registration page on our website can be created and the event included in our weekly broadcast e-mails. Details include:

Date/Time
Restaurant
Address with zip code (for map searches)
Phone number for restaurant
Directions to restaurant or website for restaurant
Your cell phone number.

Two days before the event, send a reminder note to those people who RSVPed. Ask them to bring enough cash, business cards, and notify you if they cannot attend. Provide your cell phone number.

Hosting the Network Lunch

1. Check in with the front desk to make sure they know where to direct anyone from Carnegie Mellon.

2. Check people in so we can track who attended or not. Don’t forget to fax this list in to Tim Liu at (703) 940-7673.

3. Have the wait staff/server take orders as early as possible so that the food comes out on time. Do not wait for late people to arrive.

4. After ordering, take 10 minutes to ask everyone to introduce themselves and pass out their business cards in a stack.

5. Usually, there are enough extroverted people to keep multiple conversations going on without any trouble.

6. Ask for the check right after you get your order. Someone always has to leave early, so the sooner you have the total amount, the sooner that person can leave.

7. If you are not able to pay by individual checks, then review the total amount to make sure they did or did not added tip (for large groups, some restaurants automatically add tips in). Divide by the number of people who attended (keeps the math simple). Announce the amount due to the group and make sure you collect all the money before anyone leaves.

Follow-up

Send a quick e-mail on how the event went and any lessons learned.
Be sure to fax the list of attendees to Tim Liu at (703) 940-7673.

Useful Planning Links

Alumni Directory (password required)
Alumni Events Manager (password required)
Event planning tips
Planning Yahoo Group (membership required)
Restaurants

Suggestions
Send your suggestions to Astrid Rapp, Events Co-Chair.