White House Writers Group has been organizing policy dinners for years, but using a meal as a platform to influence opinion has a much longer history in the nation’s capital. Dinner parties in Washington have been the source of politics and politicking since the days of Thomas Jefferson. As Catherine Allgor, the author of Parlor Politics writes, “Historians have long recognized the political advantages of Jefferson’s dinners, calling them part of his statecraft.”

Jefferson was strategic with his dinner parties, giving them throughout the political “season,” or Congressional session.  He typically hosted guests from one political party at a time, careful not to mix Republicans and Federalists.  But these were not official state dinners, the way we’re accustomed to hearing about today. Rather, they were intended to be much more “democratic” and generally reflected the president’s casual, Virginia hospitality.  Jefferson’s dinners espoused democracy, always using a round table, for instance, to encourage easy conversation, intimacy, and equality.

The act of breaking bread with others helps merge the personal with the political, engage in debate, bridge differences, and move opinion.  And in Washington, it appears, we have a long tradition of using food to advance political change.

When targeting elites, we at WHWG are big fans of policy dinners.  We gather between 10 and thirty of the kind of people our client wants to reach.  They may be D.C.-based journalists, or part of the Washington policy world (usually not current office holders but people office holders consult), or industry elites around the country (high tech or financial leaders for example), or even policy and political leaders in London or Brussels.  We hold the dinners at private clubs or fashionable homes or in the private dining areas of first-class restaurants.  We attract guests with a featured speaker (usually the client’s CEO or a globally acknowledged expert on the issue we want our guests to think about).  At least one member of the client’s staff is present, too.

As a dinner begins, the speaker presents 10 to twenty minutes of reflections on the issue at hand.  An open discussion follows.  One of our members is present to insure that the discussion moves smoothly and from time to time to offer observations.

The result: by evening’s end, a highly targeted audience has received in-depth exposure to a question of intense interest to our client.  They have participated in a sophisticated discussion informed by the client’s perspective, and at least some guests and the client have begun to develop personal relationships.

How effective are these dinners?  One prominent organization has made them an anchor of their communications with Washington.

What are the downsides?  Knowledgeable people must assemble the guest list.  The setting must be appropriate to the seriousness of the discussion.  The speaker must be properly briefed about the purpose of the evening.  The moderator must keep the discussion sufficiently focused to put across the client’s message… but sufficiently open that the debate and exchange of views are genuine.

Do it wrong and you’ve wasted time, money, and the good will of your guests.  Do it right and you will find no more powerful vehicle for communicating sophisticated thoughts to sophisticated and influential people.