An Open Future Forum gathering

Private Executive Dinners

Off the record. By invitation. Small rooms of senior leaders across Silicon Valley.

A table built for
candor

A private executive dinner brings together a small group of senior leaders for the conversation they cannot have in a boardroom or a conference hall. There is no stage, no panel, and no audience. Everyone at the table holds a seat the others understand.

Open Future Forum has run these dinners across Silicon Valley since 2019. The format is simple on purpose: a good room, a long evening, and the trust that comes from speaking plainly with peers.

"The best conversations a leader can have happen at a small table, off the record, with people who have sat in the same chair."
  • 01Small rooms, 8 to 30 guests
  • 02Senior leaders and true peers only
  • 03Off the record, always
  • 04No pitch, no agenda, no recording
  • 05By invitation or personal referral
  • 06Hosted by Open Future Forum

What makes a dinner
worth the evening

Every part of the evening is chosen to protect one thing: an honest conversation between peers.

The room

Small by design

Eight to thirty leaders, small enough that everyone speaks and no one performs.

Off the record

Nothing leaves the table

No recording, no notes, no press. What is said at dinner stays at dinner.

No pitch

No one is selling

The room is for the conversation, not the close. Vendors and pitches stay outside.

Peers only

The same kind of seat

Everyone at the table holds a comparable role, so the shorthand is immediate.

The host

Introductions that matter

The host knows the room and makes the connection each guest would want to leave with.

The table

Time to go deep

A long dinner and good food, with room for the conversation to get past the surface.

Dinners for
every seat

Open Future Forum runs dinner series built around specific roles, so the peers at the table truly match.

Roundtables and dinners for security (CISO), engineering (CTO), and public board leaders also run through the year. See all Forum Events →

How guests are
chosen

Seats are offered to leaders who make the room better. The question is simple: does this person give more than they take?

Guests are identified by how they show up, long before any invitation is sent. If the answer is yes, a personal note follows.

  • Senior operators and C-suite leaders
  • Founders and chief executives
  • Leaders navigating their function through AI
  • People known for generous introductions
  • Givers, always givers

Built on
Give and Take

Every Open Future Forum dinner runs on Adam Grant's Give and Take: the most generous people in the room create the most value over time.

Give

Share what you know

Guests offer their honest read of the business, the market, the board, without holding back for advantage.

Connect

Make the introduction

The most valued act at the table is a warm introduction made without being asked.

Return

Receive without obligation

This is not a quid pro quo network. The room holds the debt and pays it forward.

Ready for a
seat at the table?

If a private executive dinner sounds like your kind of room, or you know a leader who belongs at one, we'd like to hear from you. Seats are by invitation or personal referral.

What people
ask us

What is a private executive dinner?
A private executive dinner is a small, invitation-only gathering where senior leaders meet over a meal to speak candidly, off the record, with peers who hold the same kind of role. Open Future Forum has hosted them across Silicon Valley since 2019.
Who hosts the dinners?
Open Future Forum, the Silicon Valley executive community founded by Murray Newlands in 2019. Dinners run across role-based series for finance, executive, marketing, security, and board leaders.
How are guests selected?
By invitation or personal referral. The informal test is whether a guest gives more than they take. Generous, candid leaders make the room better for everyone.
Are the dinners off the record?
Yes. No recording, no notes, no press, and no pitch. Candor is the currency of the table.
Where are they held?
Across the San Francisco Bay Area and Silicon Valley, in small private rooms built for 8 to 30 guests.
How do I get invited?
Request an invitation through Open Future Forum, or follow Forum Events to attend a first gathering. A personal referral from a current guest is the most direct route.