Field notes

Look a little closer.

A closer look at the decisions that shaped the work. What we chose, why it fit, and what’s useful when you’re making a call of your own.

Before you put your name on it, ask LBB.

THE LITTLE BLACK BOOK BY CLANDESTINEPOINT OF VIEW. PEOPLE. A REASON TO CHOOSE.

The event died of one sentence.

The published account describes a bourbon and barbecue festival that was cancelled after its advertised promise conflicted with the state’s alcohol rules. The idea and logistics could not rescue what had already been sold.

The useful discipline is to check an invitation’s promises against the actual contracts, budget and applicable requirements before sending it. A compelling line still needs to be deliverable.

The homework is part of the work.

A leadership-offsite inquiry became a substantial resort search, revised proposals and speaker research. The earlier account records that the business went elsewhere after that work.

The lesson for LBB is practical. Sourcing and the reasoning behind a shortlist are valuable work. We agree the engagement before providing the answer for a particular brief.

Guests at dinner at Hawkeye & Huckleberry in Bend, from the published Clandestine Field Note — Hawkeye & Huckleberry / Bend

Bend / The dinner decision

The closest table isn’t always the right one.

On a Clandestine project in Bend, the CEO wanted a dinner within walking distance. It was an understandable preference. It wasn’t the only thing the evening needed.

The nearby option was a brewery. Kelley recommended Hawkeye & Huckleberry instead because the room, pacing and tone better suited the team’s final dinner. That meant agreeing to travel.

The published account records that the CEO accepted the recommendation before arrival and was pleased afterward.

For someone choosing a client or team dinner, the useful question is what the evening needs to make possible. Walking distance matters. So do conversation, the setting and how the group will feel in it.

Bring us your ask

A table set among trees and flowers at Music Box Village, from the LBB archive — Music Box Village / LBB archive

New Orleans / Music Box Village

A dinner that feels like your people.

The client’s taste was earthy, soulful and sensory. Music Box Village offered a setting whose architecture and sound belonged in the evening.

Clandestine paired the venue with open-fire cooking and a band that suited the space. The menu, sound and setting were selected together. The useful judgment was in how those parts belonged together for this client.

When you’re choosing where to host people, their sensibility deserves a place in the brief. A setting with a strong personality can feel exactly right for one group and uncomfortable for another.

That is why knowing who you’re hosting comes before making the call.