There is such a thing as a free lunch, sometimes…

Our beloved Melting Pot Lunches have been massively popular over the years, so much so we even hosted a Super Melting Pot to cope with the demand.

It’s easy to see why people like them so much.  We have hosted some remarkable and moving speakers who provoked and inspired in equal measure. During Covid lockdowns, the aim of our digital Melting Pots to spark meaningful connection and conversation resonated. People couldn’t go into the office but they could join Melting Pots online to talk, challenge each other and share constructive ideas.

Finally, let’s not forget that in the before-times, when we could meet face to face, Melting Pots were hosted everywhere from magic shops to museums. And we provided an ACTUAL FREE LUNCH. Admittedly, it tended to be more ‘meal deal’ than Michelin, but free food is nearly always appreciated.

So everyone loves them, they are really popular. Why on earth would we do something as stupid as change Melting Pot Lunches?

Recently there’s been discussion online around the term ‘Melting Pot’ that tells us it’s not a good fit for what we want to do with these events.

Well, we are a learning organisation, recently we’ve learned that it is time to reboot our Melting Pot events, here’s why…

The name. Melting Pots were originally given their name because we wanted to host events that brought together different kinds of people to connect and share ideas.

That aim still holds. We’ve not moved on that at all. What has changed is that clients have told us they don’t like the name. It doesn’t really convey what we thought it did. Recently there’s been discussion online around the term ‘Melting Pot’ that tells us it’s not a good fit for what we want to do with these events. We don’t want anyone to assimilate, we’ve been pretty clear about our disdain for groupthink. So it’s best we try to use a name that is a clearer and hopefully better representation.

The format. The pandemic had already forced us to rethink the format of the events. Breaking bread in an interesting venue used to be an important part of the experience. Covid restrictions stopped that and we really started to concentrate on how we could make a digital equivalent that kept the same sense of exploration and connection.

Now we want to find out what format will work best in the ‘new normal’. Maybe we move to digital, maybe we host a mix of digital and face to face events. Maybe we take a hybrid approach with some people attending in person and some coming in digitally.

We would love it if you could help us decide what we do next. We are looking for a new name and new ideas for Melting Pot Lunches.

Please fill in this really short survey. It will take less than 3 minutes (honest) and tell us what you think.