The problem with a lot of networking events is that they make the guests do all the work. They’re the ones expected to engage and keep the energy up. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Last night, I hosted a blind wine challenge for 70-80 people on a rooftop in London. One tasting table. Six places. The format was simple: guests had to rank wines from least expensive to most expensive, tasting blind. We had Jam Shed vs Saint-Émilion Grand Cru 2010, and Casillero

Most networking events don’t fail because people don’t attend. They fail because nothing in the room makes it easy for people to connect. That was the focus behind this client networking event hosted with Rostrum at Stem + Stem for 40 guests. The evening brought together a mix of existing clients, new relationships, and people who had only briefly met before. Rather than a formal presentation or structured agenda, the event was designed to encourage natural conversatio

There is something particularly special about working with returning clients. Last year, I had the pleasure of creating a rooftop Wine Safari for Bank of New York. This year, we took things in a different direction with something more intimate: a team wine tasting designed to bring together colleagues from across the world after a busy day in the office. With 25 guests joining from different countries and backgrounds, this wasn’t simply about drinking wine. It was about

What Makes a Good Networking Event? Lessons from a Taylor Wessing Wine Series Most client events are pleasant. Very few are memorable. The problem isn't effort or budget — it's that the same familiar formats rarely give guests a reason to properly engage with each other, or with the firm hosting them. People arrive, exchange pleasantries, drink something perfectly nice, and leave without having had a single conversation they'll remember on Monday morning. One of the most