CEO Executive Assistant
Published October 22, 2026.
A board dinner looks like a restaurant booking. Operationally, it is a short, high-trust event with a guest list that may include directors, a general counsel, a chair, a spouse, and one or two external advisers who have never met. The meal is rarely the point. The point is private conversation in a room where nobody has to manage a surprise.
Dietary restrictions and accessibility needs are often collected with the best intentions and then handled badly. They get copied into a group thread, printed on a place card, or repeated to a server in front of the table. A useful plan separates the information needed to run the evening from the information that should never become table conversation.
Treat the dinner as a controlled event with its own owner, timeline, and evidence. The same discipline you use for a board packet applies here, just with shorter lead times and more room for human variation. If you are already running the meeting packet through a checklist, borrow the structure from the board meeting packet workflow and adapt it for a social setting.
Start with the purpose and the room
Ask the CEO or board chair three questions before anyone contacts a venue: what should this dinner accomplish, who must be able to speak easily with whom, and what should not happen.
Then define the non-negotiables. These usually include a private or semi-private space, a round or oval table that lets people hear each other, step-free access from the entrance to the table and restrooms, adequate lighting without glare, and a noise level that does not force raised voices. If the venue cannot confirm those conditions in writing, it is not a candidate.
Avoid choosing a restaurant solely because it is convenient for the CEO. The right venue is the one that works for the full guest list, not the average guest.
Collect only the details the venue needs
Send each guest a short, private form or a direct message with two optional questions: whether they have a dietary need the kitchen must accommodate, and whether there is anything about the physical space that would make the evening difficult. Make clear that the answer is optional, that it will be shared only with the people who need it, and that the guest can contact you directly instead.
Do not ask for a diagnosis. Do not ask for a full list of preferences if the kitchen only needs to avoid a specific ingredient. Do not collect accessibility information in a shared document that the whole planning team can browse. Use a restricted folder or a direct message thread with the CEO’s assistant and the venue contact.
Separate a need from a preference
A vegetarian preference and a severe nut allergy are not the same operational fact. One can be handled on the menu; the other requires a conversation with the kitchen about cross-contact, preparation surfaces, and emergency response. Record the category, the action required, and the confidence level.
Protect accessibility information
Accessibility details should travel as a functional requirement, not a personal story. “Guest requires step-free access from the lobby to the dining room and a chair without arms” is enough for the venue. The guest’s medical reason is not. Share the requirement with the venue manager and, only if necessary, the server assigned to the table. Keep the source message in a restricted location and delete duplicate copies after the event.
The ADA’s guidance on effective communication and accessible facilities is a useful reference for the questions to ask a venue, not a substitute for a conversation with the guest. ADA.gov explains the general obligations; the guest remains the authority on what works for them.
Build a seating map with explicit constraints
A seating chart is a set of constraints disguised as a drawing. Start with the people who must sit near each other, then the people who should not be adjacent, then the people who need to be able to leave the table without disturbing the room. Put the constraints in writing before you open the seating software.
Useful constraint categories include:
- Conversation: who needs to meet whom, and who already works together every day.
- Authority: whether the chair or CEO should anchor the table.
- Access: who needs an aisle seat, a chair with specific support, or space for a mobility device.
- Sensitivity: who should not be seated next to a counterparty, a former colleague, or a family member.
- Newcomers: where a first-time guest can ask a question without feeling exposed.
Do not put the seating chart in the same document as health details. A numbered table map with initials or guest identifiers is enough for the venue. The assistant keeps the key. If a place card is printed, print the guest’s name and nothing else.
Set the venue handoff
Call the venue. Do not rely on an online booking note for a board-level event. Confirm the room, the arrival time, the guest count, the service style, the dietary instructions, the accessibility route, the bill arrangement, and the name of the person on duty. Ask what happens if the private room is not ready, if a guest arrives early, or if the kitchen cannot meet a stated need.
Send a one-page confirmation that repeats the essentials in plain language. Include a contact number for the night, a cutoff for final guest count, and a clear instruction about what the venue should do if a guest discloses a need on arrival.
Run a 24-hour confirmation
The day before the dinner, confirm three things separately: the guest list, the venue, and the CEO. Guest confirmations should include the time, the address, the entrance to use, and the name of the host. Venue confirmations should include the final count, dietary instructions, accessibility arrangements, and the on-site manager. The CEO confirmation should include the purpose, the seating logic, the names of any guests the CEO has not met, and the one or two topics to raise.
Manage the room on the night
Arrive early enough to walk the route yourself. Check the table, the chairs, the lighting, the noise, the restroom path, and the server’s understanding of the dietary instructions. Put the seating cards down only after you have confirmed the room is set correctly.
Brief the CEO in one minute: who is coming, where they are sitting, which guest may need extra time, and what to do if a sensitive topic surfaces. Agree on a discreet signal for “wrap this up.” If a guest arrives with an unannounced need, route it to the venue manager privately rather than solving it across the table.
Close out with evidence
After the event, record what worked and what did not: venue accuracy, dietary handling, accessibility arrangements, timing, seating, and any guest feedback that is appropriate to retain. Do not keep health details longer than the operational need requires. If the same venue will be used again, keep the functional requirements and the venue contact, not the guest’s personal explanation.
A board dinner is a small event with a long memory. The goal is a room where every director can participate without explaining themselves, and where the CEO can focus on the conversation rather than the logistics. For the broader meeting sequence around the dinner, see confidential visitor information protocols and the meeting coordination service.