Mix It Up

I was invited by Tom Rogers of Crab Communications to an “industry dinner” last week at one of the Cubitt House pubs now run by the Pearmans and with chef Ben Tish at the helm.

I have followed and written about the careers of both the hotel/pub entrepreneurs and the chef for a number of years so it’s always a delight to catch up.

But… am I really “industry”? I used to be back when I was briefly a chef, and I suppose tangentially when I was specifically editing recipe features, but now? 

What was very clever of PR Rogers was that the event was what I suppose we’d call ‘industry-adjacent’ – it was a mix of chefs, public relations supremos, restaurateurs, journalists and others interested in or somehow associated with food and drink. 

We road-tested the new Princess Royal menu, which led to much Instagramming and feedback, but also I came away with three strong features ideas, several new contacts which I know will be fruitful and two delightful dinner invitations (which in themselves might well lead to more features).

I suppose my point is, it’s really worth mixing it up with invitation lists, particularly for events a bit more formal than a launch or drinks. The effects might be less immediately measurable but for deepening connections and allowing your client to feel like they are really in the middle of a creative hotspot, it’s a canny move.