This document discusses the history and purpose of the annual Members & Friends Dinner held by the Management Consulting Division. The dinner was originally created to honor Bob Wright, one of the founders of the division, but when he was unable to attend the first dinner, a video of him was shown instead. The dinner became a yearly tradition to recognize senior members who contributed significantly to the division. Over time, the personal connection to honorees was somewhat lost. Recent dinners have aimed to refocus on the original goal of celebrating the division's history and honoring long-time members.

1. Management Consulting Division
Members & Friends Dinner:
Community Building
&
Member Recognition
Tony Buono, Bentley University
MC Division Chair, 2013

2. History & Context
Recognize & honor Bob Wright, one of the
founders of the Division
Initial plan: Dinner in his honor, with him
reflecting on and answering questions about the
creation of the Division and his experiences
(Vancouver 1995)
Best Laid Plans:
Bob was unable to attend
Dave Jamieson (Division Chair) traveled to his
home, video-taped the conversation ~
“Honoring the Founder” ~ and “Emceed” the
dinner, showing the video

3. Initial Outcome
Roughly 50 people attended the dinner
“Feel Good” event
Informative, inspiring
Prompted reflections and exchanges between long-
and medium-term and new members
Intended as a one-time event
Cincinnati (1996) many people remarked that they
would have liked to do something similar, that
“something was missing”
Resurrected in Boston (1997)
Harry Levinson (Roughly 90 people attended)
“Members & Friends Dinner” became a yearly event

4. The Event
Annual Members & Friends Dinner
Honorees are selected by Division Officers
Senior people who have made a significant
contribution to the Division/profession
Each year, the honoree gives an after dinner talk
Career reflections
Role of MC [MCD] in their lives
Success/failures in their engagements and
intervention
Interactions with colleagues
Memories
Typical attendance 75-90 people (50 to >130)

5. Hindsight
Although successful, the “spirit” of the event (tradition,
why it was created) was gradually lost
Over time, honorees evolved into a second
Distinguished Speaker, with little direct involvement in
the Division ~ the dinner lost its “personal touch”
 Resurrected the event (once again) in Boston (2012) ~
Peter Sorensen ~ Harvard Club of Boston, over 130
attending
Moving forward ~ need to ensure the history and spirit
of the event is passed on to each new group of
incoming Division officers (role of Division Historian).
 Coming “Full Circle” in Orlando (2013) ~ Dave
Jamieson