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👋🏽 What’s good?!
Welcome to Rooms of Influence. Every two weeks, I share short reflections with the founders, organizers, and creators in my orbit — breaking down how the best operators use IRL events + content to build disproportionate influence.
From executive dinners and field marketing tactics to conferences and virtual events: the actual playbooks behind the rooms where trust compounds and deals happen.
When I land in a new city, I don't post "who's free?"
I run a small outbound campaign with one conversion event: a table for 5.
My goal is simple: Get in front of 5 qualified people I’d love to me IRL.
Step 1. Build the ICP list (15 min)
LinkedIn → My Network → Connections
Filters:
Location: [City]
Role/title keywords: [founder / ops / GTM / etc.]
Optional: 2nd-degree via mutuals
Output:
Target list: 20–30 names
Tier A (10): would genuinely add to the room
Tier B (10–20): strong fit, backup
Rule: If you wouldn't seat them at your table, don't put them on the list.
Step 2. Lock the venue (10 min)
Pick 1 venue (good energy, not too loud, easy to find)
Book a table for 5
Confirm: time slot, cancellation policy, name on reservation
Why 5? It's intimate enough for real conversation, small enough that no-shows don't kill the room, and large enough that one quiet person doesn't stall the table.
Step 3. Create the conversion asset (20 min)
Luma page:
Title: "[Role] dinner — [City] — [Date]"
Subtitle: "Strong hook here"
Cap: 5
Fields: name, email, LinkedIn (optional: one-line "what are you working on")
This is your landing page. Treat it like one.
Step 4. Personal outbound (45–60 min)
Channel mix:
LinkedIn DM (primary)
Email (if you have it)
Send count:
Day 1: 10 Tier A (personalized)
Day 2: 5 Tier B if needed
Stop when you have 5 confirmed or 48 hrs before event
Do NOT:
Blast a generic "join my event"
Post the Luma link publicly first (personal invite > broadcast)
Simple DM template:
"Hey [Name] — I'm in [City] [dates] and hosting a small dinner for [role] (table of 5, no pitch fest).
Would love to have you if you're free: [Luma link]
Either way, hope you're well."
Personalize line 1 with something specific (their post, company, mutual).
Step 5. Confirm & run the event (15 min prep)
24 hrs before: confirm headcount with venue
Same day: quick message to attendees ("See you at [venue] at [time], table under [name]")
At the table: one opener question for the group, then let it run
Metrics I track:
Invites sent
Reply rate
Accept rate (Luma signups)
Show rate
Follow-ups booked post-dinner
Typical target:
10–15 personalized invites → 5 seats filled → 4+ show
This is the same muscle as outbound:
ICP → list → asset → personal touch → conversion event
Except the CTA is a seat at a table, not a demo call. Make sense?
If you're traveling for work or a conference soon, run this instead posting "who's in NYC this week?"
Keep building,
Vernon
P.S. I just put together a 5-day email course on building a webinar with a small audience. You can grab it for free here.
Find me on LinkedIn
Growth Dinners is an IRL, invite-only dinner series + community for founders who’ve hit $1M+ in revenue or raised $2M. If you have products or services that would benefit founders or a founder looking to join our next dinner, let’s jam!
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