A pilot to test · v2.0
Their first EO trip could be their forum training.
Picture your newest member a month after joining. They fly to a host city, and that night they are in a private dining room at a MICHELIN-starred or equivalent restaurant with new members from several chapters, the trainer, and the host chapter's leaders. The next day they train, and they catch an early evening flight home. One night away. One chapter hosts each quarter. Every chapter sends its new class.
The experience
Simple: fly to a host city, have dinner with the host chapter's leaders at a MICHELIN-starred or equivalent restaurant, train for a full day, and catch an early evening flight home.
At the dinner
What new members get
- Value on day one. Right after they write their $11,000-plus check, they are at a private MICHELIN-level dinner with EO leaders.
- A real sense of how big EO is, and friends in other chapters who keep showing up at regional events.
What chapters get
- A full training room. No $250-per-person fees for empty seats.
- Better retention. Forum members who visit outside their chapter renew at 95%.*
Example package: Nashville
Dinner: EO-owned, one MICHELIN Star (2025)
- Locust12 South
- Catbird SeatChef's counter
- BastionSame ownership group
Also EO-owned: MICHELIN Recommended (2025)
- TailorVivek Surti's South Asian tasting menu, Germantown
Training day
- Private social clubor a boutique hotel meeting room
Costs and budget
The savings: trainings under six people cost a chapter $250 per person. A full regional room avoids it.
Give prospects the dates. Every chapter shares the year's Regional Training Experience dates with its prospects as soon as they start the application, so they save the dates before they join. Right after they write their $11,000-plus check, they are in a private dining room at a MICHELIN-starred restaurant with EO leaders. They feel the value right away, and they capture the uniqueness and quality of EO membership.
What trainers get
- Easier scheduling. Less fighting over the same dates, and fewer preferred trainers capped out before July 1.
- Fewer trips. One full room instead of several small ones, and no travel at all when the training is in their home city.
What the region gets
- Connected chapters. New members meet across chapter lines from their first month.
- A signature experience. Something every US East prospect hears about before they join.
Test it this year. Ask the region for Forum, Membership, or Engagement funds to offset some of the costs.
