The 7 Objectives of Meal Campaigns
Conversation, (Re)connection, Fundraising, Marketing, Research and Common Interests.
Here at OpenSeat, we believe that meal campaigns are a powerful tool for bringing people together, fostering connections, and promoting several worthy objectives. In this first part of a two-part series about meal campaigns, we delve into the reasons why you might consider starting one.
Starting a meal campaign is likely to revolve around seven potential objectives, each which will be discussed in turn.
1. To have conversations about an important topic
This objective is largely self-explanatory: meals as a means to sustained, meaningful discussion. Consider the objectives of the Dining For Democracy campaign. A topic can be about anything, as long as a good conversation can be had about it. If everyone already shares the same opinion, it’s probably a non-starter.
For example, imagine a meal campaign focused on environmental conservation. It would centre around conversations on ‘sustainable’ living practices, inviting meal attendees to engage in discussions about their carbon footprint and recycling. For example, a series of three different meals could be held, each focusing on one of the following topics:
‘Meat Consumption and Environmental Impact’
A meat-based meal with (hopefully meaty!) conversation around the environmental impact of meat consumption, including the carbon footprint of livestock farming. Hosts would ask guests to discuss their personal choices related to eating meat , whether it involves reducing the amount they eat, adopting a vegetarian or vegan diet, or supporting sustainable meat sources.‘Single-Use Plastics and Personal Accountability’
Meal participants would delve into the controversy surrounding single-use plastics and the challenges of reducing their use — all the while eating food from plastic plates and drinking from plastic cups. Guests could be asked to share their experiences in (not) attempting to reduce plastic waste.‘Transportation Choices and Carbon Emissions’
Meal participants would discuss their transportation choices, and to what extent a commitment to reducing one’s carbon footprint makes sense at the individual level. Guests would be asked to reflect on their personal transportation habits, such as flights, car usage, public transportation, cycling, or walking — and how these choices affect the environment.
2. To foster new social connections between people
This objective holds significant importance, especially in environments such as large business, non-profit or religious organisations, where new members are joining, or there has been a challenge in building a sense of community due to factors like constant staff turnover or influx of new congregants.
A meal campaign helps address this need by promoting informal, small-scale social interactions outside of the larger corporate setting, making it easier to get to know others. Usually the leadership of an organisation would find volunteers to host meals for newcomers, who would be told about any upcoming meals (through a link to OpenSeat), and invited to RSVP to any meal which catches their fancy.
The results of a successful meal campaign aimed at newcomers would be a sense of inclusion and an experience of community beyond polite greetings — which would hopefully lead to a sense of belonging, and all the cooperation and good that comes from that.
3. To strengthen existing connections or communities
Our most recent meal campaign, Play With Your Food, has had a main objective of strengthening the bonds between parents and children, but this could take a vastly different shape depending on the target meal participants.
For example, in a large corporate environment where colleagues may often see each other but never actually get to know each other, a meal campaign can play a pivotal role in strengthening existing connections and fostering a deeper sense of community.
Colleagues – particularly from different teams or divisions – could be asked (or encouraged) by their managers to take turns hosting meals at their own home, or at a local café after opening hours. They can then share their favourite dishes, and more importantly a taste of their interests, personality, and family culture.
By breaking bread together, colleagues can form stronger bonds, learn about each other beyond their job tasks and titles, and develop a deeper sense of familiarity and camaraderie.
4. To fundraise for a cause
If your primary objective is fundraising, you might consider organising a ‘Dining for a Cause’ campaign that supports a local project – for example, a school meal program.
In such a campaign, the price to attend each meal could include a donation component, and the funds raised would be directed toward providing daily nutritious meals for underprivileged children attending a specific school in a disadvantaged community. A campaign of this sort not only fosters the spirit of communal dining but also actively contributes to addressing the issue of childhood hunger and malnutrition in South Africa.
If you’re interested in a meal campaign with a fundraising objective, be sure to check out next week’s blog post on Hosting for a Cause.
5. To help market products or services
A meal campaign can be a powerful marketing tool – and it would be throwing out the baby with the bathwater to think that marketing and genuine social connections are mutually exclusive.
Consider: a food company might host a campaign of meals where attendees sample new products and provide valuable feedback. This not only offers a tasteful culinary and social experience but also serves as an effective way to promote the company's latest offerings.
By engaging customers directly, enabling them to sample products/services and provide immediate feedback, a company can gain insights into consumer preferences, all the while building brand awareness and loyalty — an example of engaging in research, which is mentioned next.
These meal events would provide a unique opportunity for customers and clients to connect with the company running the campaign, making it a win-win strategy for both the business and its patrons.
6. To engage in market or academic research
Other than market research, researchers might use a meal campaign to gather data on topics related to people and society at large: politics, sociology, economics, linguistics and so on.
For example, researchers could organise a series of ‘Focus Group Dinners’ around the country to study different South Africans’ attitudes toward political parties and their voting intentions in the 2024 election — all the while enjoying a delicious meal.
Such dinners would offer participants a relaxed atmosphere, allowing them to enjoy the food and company while sharing their views and experiences, and in the process, contributing to academic research.
7. To enjoy a common interest
If your meal campaign's objective doesn't fit in with the categories mentioned above, don’t worry. Not all campaigns have need to be about a cause, research, deep conversation topics, or getting to know people better — they can also be about having fun! The final objective for a meal campaign is related to shared interests that people pursue together. For instance:
Sports enthusiasts might find common ground by starting a World Cup meal campaign, where they take turns hosting meals on game day – victories are sweeter and losses less disappointing when you can share them with others in the comfort of good food.
A series of social table-based games, whether board games, card games, or role-playing games like Dungeons and Dragons, can also serve as an objective for meal campaigns.
Arts and culture enthusiasts can come together for a series of ‘art and cuisine evenings,’ combining their appreciation for visual arts, music, or literature with a culinary experience. Such gatherings might include book readings, poetry and script readings, or even live performances, where attendees can not only enjoy the arts but also engage in stimulating discussion.
Foodies and culinary enthusiasts might initiate an ‘Around the World’ meal campaign to take meal guests on a global gastronomic adventure, sampling various dishes from different cultures, and learning about the rich tapestry of flavours that the world has to offer.
Conclusion
The first step in organising a meal campaign is to figure out its objective – and some campaigns might have more than one. Clearly identifying what these are will help guide the decisions you make about who the meals are targeted at, how catering, venues and financing will be organised, and particularly how you intend to get word out about the campaign. These aspects of a meal campaign will be the topic for part two of this blog series.
If this post has kindled your interest and you have a good idea for a meal campaign, we’d like to collaborate with you to refine it and figure out how to make it happen. Just click the button above ☝️, and fill out our Meal Campaign form.