Hosting a Successful Community Dinner in Bali

Whether you run a community in Bali or are one of its many members, it’s no secret that the dinner table is often the most effective way to build a meaningful bond. Conversation naturally flows over food and drinks, allowing you to form stronger connections over what you have in common with the rest of the table. For this reason, a periodic community dinner can be just what your circle needs. 

There are many moving parts when it comes to planning and hosting a community dinner. However, taking it one step at a time will ensure that everyone enjoys themselves and walks away feeling more refreshed. Follow our guide below to help you run a successful community dinner. 

What is a community dinner?

Community dinners are social events that unite people with similar backgrounds or interests. Attendants can be people in the same neighbourhood, school, class, or faith organisation. They can also be those who share a passion for the same things such as art, literature, sports, social justice, and the likes. These people may already know each other from previous community meetings, but this dinner may also be the first time some of them are meeting. 

Why is a community dinner important?

Gathering everyone for dinner every once in a while goes beyond just sharing a meal. It’s an activity that, when done regularly, has the potential to foster inclusion and strengthen the community’s relationship with one another. 

Building relationship and trust

Eating together provides the space where people can engage in genuine conversation away from the usual community or organisational activities. Here, deeper friendships can begin to form, often allowing guests to cross cultural, social, or economic barriers.

Creating a sense of belonging

When people spend time together, it reinforces the fact that they are welcome in the group and seen by others. 

Promoting collaboration and contribution 

Often, the conversations over these dinners will spark new ideas or partnerships. This enables people across practices to collaborate and form impactful initiatives. It can also be a place where a particular vision is cast and people are encouraged to contribute, be it their time, energy, or finances.

How to plan for a community dinner 

Here are several things to take note of when preparing for your event. 

Determine your goals

As with any event, it’s important to know why you’re hosting and what you want to achieve out of it. Here are several things you can accomplish through your gathering:

• Provide a chance for people to get to know each other
• Offer moral support for struggling community members
• Get volunteers to sign up for your cause
• Share a new idea or initiative
• Raise funds for a project or cause 

Your goal will determine the rest of the event. 

Prepare the guest list

Attendees of the dinner will affect other factors such as location, menu, and activities, and will affect your overall budget. Are you only hosting community members or will there be organisation leaders and donors in attendance? 

Have an agenda 

The rundown of the night will vary depending on your goals. It’s helpful to have activities that support your predetermined objectives.

For example, if the purpose of your dinner is to help people form connections, you may want to begin the night with an icebreaker question thrown to the group which they can discuss with the people around them. However, if your purpose is to raise funds for a cause, you may want to include a timeslot for presenting your project and why it’s a worthy investment. 

Choose a location

Similar occasions normally take place in communal spaces where people are encouraged to contribute to a potluck. However, it’s not uncommon to host these kinds of events at a restaurant. 

When selecting a venue, keep in mind your agenda and guest list. Be sure to choose a restaurant that can accommodate to the amount of people who will be there, their dietary requirements and preferences, and the activities you have set up. 

Located in the Petitenget area, Merah Putih restaurant is perfectly centred in Bali’s tourism hub and is a choice restaurant for community dinners. This luxury Indonesian restaurant seats 110 people on its main floor and another 24 to 30 in the teak pods on the mezzanine. The establishment has been serving traditional Indonesian recipes with a modern flare since 2013, meaning you won’t have to worry about your guests enjoying their meal! 

Book a table today with exclusive gift vouchers for your next event. 

Send out invitations

Once you have all the details down, it’s time to invite everyone to come! Effective tools for this is via email or posting on your community’s social media account. Be sure to include all the details. For restaurant dinners, it’s best to ask people to RSVP so that you and the restaurant can prepare accordingly. 

Post-event follow-up 

Once the night is over and your guests have left, reach out to them within a week as a follow-up. Your message depends on the goal you set out to achieve at the start. 

Be sure to thank everyone for coming and let them know how they can stay connected with you, participate within your community, or contribute to your cause. You can even ask them for feedback by providing a link to a short questionnaire. This follow-up is also a good time to promote any other events or activities you have going on in your community.  

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