Consider this week’s post a thought experiment (and a little hypocritical)…don’t shoot me because the section in bold below is intentionally generated by ChatGPT (and contradicts what I have told you numerous times that I write these Sunday posts entirely from scratch).
Well, everything before and after the ChatGPT part in bold is original so there’s that. Including this sentence. 😊
I wanted to try something different today after experiencing a transformative dinner last Thursday night with 16 superstars of marketing, copywriting, entrepreneurship…every one of them a results leader of the highest order.
And since Thursday night had everything to do with human-to-human interactions and little to do with AI, there is a delicious irony in writing my first blog post generated by AI on this particular topic.
I’ve written about this topic before without phoning a friend (i.e. AI)…and in my book…but it was high time to see what ChatGPT could do with what I think is one of the most remarkable, profound–yet painfully simple–concepts in business.
I kept the prompt simple:
I’d like to write a blog post in my voice and access concepts from my book Overdeliver on the power of the “Boardroom/Intentional Dinners” …with as little repetition as possible…and with a nod to the dinner just held in Tampa on March 19th.
On the one hand, I feel dirty; on the other, I was curious what the prompt would produce…and I committed to keeping my edits to a minimum.
I used a custom GPT built for me by one of my original Titans Xcelerator members (who is entering her 7th year inside this special community)—the amazing Dawn Apuan.
I used it to not only prove that I “eat my own dog food” (i.e. I trust my community to deliver quality products and services over all others) …but to see if any new insights would be uncovered by ChatGPT.
The answer is “possibly.”
I need you to decide.
The AI generated post below about a topic that has been part of my life for the past four decades did justice to it…although I am too close to it.
And sadly (or happily?) the first draft was not written in my “voice.”
That is, I know I could have refined it further to get my voice more into it.
But my goal was to seek a unique spin with presumably an outside voice (of sorts).
So I didn’t obsess about the lack of my voice.
Most importantly, I would love to know if YOU got any new insights about these miraculous dinners, whether you knew about them in the past or not.
Because that is all that matters.
I believe it covers the bases…although like all things ChatGPT, it lacks heart and humor…which compelled me to add a little of both. ❤️😂
But not too much in order to keep the thought experiment somewhat “pure.”
Regardless, it’s something you should incorporate into your life–that’s the dinners…and to a lesser extent, AI. 😊
Here’s me setting the stage for the evening (and this is NOT AI generated…everyone in this picture is a real human believe it or not):
And here is my Bot, waxing poetic about a 100% game-changing, human experience:
Last night in Tampa, something happened that doesn’t show up on a funnel map… and doesn’t get captured in a case study.
It happened around a table.
No stage. No slides. No “presentation.”
Just a small group of serious marketers, operators, and entrepreneurs sitting down for a Boardroom-style dinner… talking shop, sharing scars, and—if you were paying attention—quietly changing each other’s trajectory.
Set up with maximum intentionality…from a curated seating arrangement, a private room to facilitate one conversation around the table, receiving templated Bios in advance so I could prepare the table arrangement and possible discussion topics…and everything else outlined in Overdeliver (pages 217-225).
And I was reminded (again) why these dinners matter more than almost anything else we do.
The Most Valuable Room Has No Stage
In Overdeliver, I talked about access.
Not access in the modern, overused sense— “join this group,” “get this login,” “watch this content.”
I mean real access.
Proximity.
Conversation.
The ability to ask a question and get an unfiltered answer… not a polished one.
That’s what these dinners create.
Because something happens when you take smart, generous, experienced people… remove the microphones… remove the performance… and just let them talk.
Letting people talk about “everything about this much” (said with my thumb and index finger 2 inches apart).
You get the truth.
Not the “Twitter version” of marketing.
Not the conference highlights reel.
But the stuff that moves the needle:
- What’s working right now…what quietly stopped working…from people who are actually working.
- Where the real leverage is
- What’s breaking behind the scenes
- And the subtle decisions that separate those who scale… from those who stall
None of that shows up in a keynote.
But it shows up at an intentional dinner, one inspired by Marty Edelston.
Marty Edelston Understood This Better Than Anyone
My mentor, Marty Edelston, built Boardroom Inc. into a direct marketing and publishing powerhouse… but what most people missed was how much of that success came from something deceptively simple:
Getting the right people in the right room and treating them well.
Marty believed in surrounding yourself with smart, generous people—and creating environments where ideas could flow freely without ego or agenda.
That’s not just a “nice idea.”
It’s a strategic advantage.
Because when you consistently put yourself in rooms like that… you compress time.
You see around corners.
You avoid mistakes you didn’t even know you were about to make.
And you start thinking at a different level—because the conversation demands it.
Marty famously said:
“There is no better way to spend an evening, hearing from experts talking about what they are experts in. Hey…you gotta eat dinner anyway…why not set it up for maximum impact?”
What Happens at These Dinners (That You Can’t Replicate Online)
There’s a moment that tends to happen at every Boardroom-style dinner.
It’s not planned.
It’s not on the agenda.
But you can feel it when it hits.
Someone shares something real. Not performative. Not polished.
Maybe it’s a struggle.
Maybe it’s a decision they’re wrestling with.
Maybe it’s a behind-the-scenes look at a campaign that didn’t go as expected.
And then…
The room leans in.
Not to judge. Not to impress.
But to help.
And what follows is almost impossible to recreate anywhere else:
You get layered thinking.
One person adds context.
Another brings a contrarian angle.
Someone else shares a parallel experience.
And suddenly… what started as one person’s problem becomes a masterclass for everyone at the table.
You don’t just get answers.
You get perspective.
This Is the “Overdeliver” Principle in the Wild
One of the core ideas in Overdeliver is simple:
Give more than expected. Create more value than required. Think long-term.
But here’s what’s interesting…
The people who live by that principle tend to find each other.
Not to brag, but those people–close to 250 of them–have found each other inside my mastermind, Titans Xcelerator.
Just sayin’ 🙂
And when they do—especially in a setting like these dinners—the effect compounds.
Because nobody’s holding back.
Nobody’s thinking, “What can I sell here?”
They’re thinking, “How can I help?”
That shift—subtle as it sounds—is everything.
It changes the quality of the conversation.
It changes the depth of insight.
And ultimately, it changes the outcomes for everyone involved.
Tampa Was a Reminder
Last Thursday night in Tampa there wasn’t a big announcement.
(Well, there were a couple of small ones…see one of those in the P.S.)
There was no pitch.
No formal agenda.
Just a group of people who take this craft seriously… sitting down and doing what great marketers have always done:
Sharing ideas.
Testing assumptions.
Refining thinking.
And helping each other get better.
It’s easy to overlook something like that.
It doesn’t scale neatly.
It’s not “efficient” in the way most people define efficiency.
But if you’ve been in one of these rooms…
You know.
The Hidden ROI
If you tried to measure the ROI of a dinner like this, you’d probably miss it.
Because it doesn’t show up immediately.
[An important sidebar: To effectively create one of these spectacularly simple yet far-reaching events, you need to pay for it. The concept doesn’t work if you plan it as a “Dutch treat.”]
The ROI shows up later:
- In a decision you make faster (and with more confidence)
- In a mistake you avoid entirely
- In a strategy you refine before it costs you six figures
- In a relationship that opens a door you didn’t even know existed
That’s the game.
And it’s the same game Marty understood decades ago… the same one I wrote about in Overdeliver… and the same one we’re continuing to build through experiences like these.
Final Thought
In a world obsessed with scale, automation, and leverage…
Don’t lose sight of this:
Some of the most valuable moments in your business will happen in small rooms.
Around tables.
With the right people.
Having the right conversations.
Tampa was 240 of those most valuable moments (i.e. that’s 4 hours…I did the math). 😊
And if you’re playing the long game—as I know many of you are—it’s worth asking:
How often are you putting yourself in rooms like that?
And…
How often are you creating these rooms yourself?
Because that’s where the real edge is.
O.K…. I did it…and while it seemed a little repetitive, I think you got the point, AI style.
I will not make a habit of doing this…but AI is here to stay.
It is a savior to some…a threat to many more…and a tool for everyone to use but not abuse.
But as a tool, it’s not a crutch.
And I’m sticking by my premise “the last 10% is everything.”
That is, “everything” is tied up in our uniqueness and a personal touch.
You probably picked up where I added my 10% above–they were the parts that had some additional color…and maybe a touch of humor (at least those touches were funny to me).
Because, alas, when you are talking about real people… sharing with each other in real life…Bots are intentionally not on my invitation list.
That’s the first step in creating an intentional dinner.
Warmly,
Brian
P.S. I teased above that there was at least one “announcement” at the dinner in Tampa…one that was 100% congruent with the festivities.
And in the spirit of AI never replacing the human touch, I’m putting my money where my mouth is.
I’m planning a 2-day live event in Greenwich, Connecticut (near New York City) on October 22nd and 23rd …think of it as a “2-Day Intentional Dinner” (although it won’t only be a feeding frenzy). 😊
Well, it will be a feeding frenzy of ideas, contributions, connections, world class speakers…PLUS a Boardroom-Style Intentional Dinner like the one described above…
…and you are invited!
Assuming you are not a Bot, of course.
If you are a member of Titans Xcelerator you’ll pay one price; and as a non-member, you will pay a higher price…but included in that higher price will be a one-year membership to Titans Xcelerator.
This is the best opportunity I can provide to get you into one of the rooms described above, not just for 4 hours over dinner, but for two days…and then for a full year (i.e. at least 30 live Zoom calls with the same spirit as being in real life).
A room where there is access, proximity, deep conversations, answers to the questions you are constantly asking, truth…and of course hugs. 🫂
One of my staff members—someone named Claude (you may know him?)—just designed the reservation page.
Click here to see what I am preparing…hopefully for you. 🙂
You’ll be hearing more about this live, in-person event in the weeks ahead.
This is my first official announcement to the “outside world.”
But the first five (5) non-Titans Xcelerator members who reserve their spot will receive a special gift as a first mover.
Click here to join me for a hug (and so much more) in October.