MIKESTOPFORTH

Last night marked the 44th iteration of the 27dinner social networking movement, held at FTV in Village Walk. With the dinners reaching unparalleled popularity (numbers peaking at 170+ on the attendance list at 27dinner.com), it is becoming increasingly challenging to organise and execute an event that now has some pretty high expectations around it in [...]

I knew last night’s 27dinner in Jozi could only have had one of two outcomes. Being the first dinner to enjoy full brand sponsorship (more on that later) there was a risk of it being too commercial and boring, even prescriptive. I knew I didn’t want that. On the other hand, it had the potential [...]

The 29th 27dinner, held on the 25th to accommodate more folks (weekends aren’t ideal for these things), was, I think, an improvement on previous dinners. The new venue, Cappello in Sandton City, suited our presentation format far better and encouraged a more networky vibe. Thanks to Garsen (the owner) and his team for their refreshingly [...]

Or at least I thought so. Sure, we struggled to hear at times as we competed with another party upstairs at Primi Forum Melrose Arch, but all in all I think it was a super evening. Just under 100 people rocked up to the biggest 27dinner so far, we might have even clocked 100 as [...]

There are still 25 or so places remaining at this month’s 27dinner in Jozi. Please don’t forget that it’s being held on the 28th do to the fact that the 27th falls on a Sunday. We’re lucky to have Charl Norman and Jason Hobbs presenting, and I’m pushing and prodding another speaker to join us. [...]

It was inevitable that the 27dinner movement would eventually outgrow it’s PBwiki-hosted home in time.  The movement has grown substantially and truly exciting things are coming up.  The new site is up at 27dinner.com.

I’d like to humbly request that you understand that the new site is (and will continue to be) a work in progress, it’s not meant to be perfect this first time around so your feedback and insight would be greatly appreciated.

Nothing changes about 27 – you still get to attend for free and we’re going to try ensure that the content is not only up to standard with some of what you’ve seen before, but even better so.  We’ve also decided to respond to the numerous enquiries we’ve had from companies wanting to get involved in the form of sponsorships, etc. in such a way that it doesn’t detract from the ethos and culture of the movement.  In other words, we’ll only allow companies to get involved if it adds to your experience and pumps energy and value back into the community.

So check it out, let us know what works and what doesn’t, and what needs to change.  And thanks especially for you continued support of the dinners countrywide.

It’s a little late, but I’d like to thank all who attended last night’s 27dinner in Jozi (we were at Primi Piatti, Melrose Arch) yesterday evening. Considering the cold, dreary Cape Town weather the turn out was good and the vibe was even better.

Our speaker line-up included Ramon Thomas who spoke about Technology Stress in a Wireless World (view the preso at his site) followed by Jason Hobbs who gave a fascinating and stylish report on research he’s done into the disproportionately large, but thriving internet cafe industry in inner city Johannesburg. The photo essay and report are both available at his website (which is also pretty impressive).