The best night out
you haven't been invited to. Yet.

Howdy,

There are people who are curious about the world, about other people, about what might happen if you say yes a little more often.

People who still want to discover something new. A place, a conversation, a person, an idea, a weekend that turns into a story.

That is who we are building this for.

We bring the right amount of people together around a table, at private concerts, gallery nights, cooking evenings and the occasional weekend away. Everyone applies, everyone gets spoken to, and every guest list is built by hand.

Because the people are the experience.

This takes five minutes. Answer honestly. It works considerably better than answering impressively.

Bussi,
Alex

We read every application ourselves. All of it, embarrassingly closely.

If we're curious, you'll hear from hello@kindaspecial.com. A person with a name, rather than a CRM sequence.

Then fifteen minutes on Zoom, and we start working out which table you belong at.

Five minutes

Part 1 of 6

A little bit about you.

From here on, this is a personal affair. Every answer gets read by one of us, so we'd like to know who we're talking to.

Your name and email

This is where the email from hello@kindaspecial.com lands. Written by a human, we promise.

Where are you based?

Choose the ones you regularly spend time in. Vienna's where we are now. Everywhere else, we're quietly building a list.

Up to three. Pick the ones that are actually true.

Why this, why now?

I'm open to meeting someone, and the usual routes are grim My social life has plateaued and I've noticed New city or new chapter, building from zero Curiosity. Still legal, I assume.

Part 2 of 6

How people meet now.

A short and slightly grim inventory. Single, spoken for, or simply short of people worth a Thursday evening - the ways in are much the same, and most of them are dreadful.

Part 3 of 6

Your life outside work.

We build evenings around what people actually do, not what sounds good at a dinner party.

What are you slightly obsessed with at the moment?

Anything counts. A writer, Japanese knives, fermentation, a court case, your garden, one particular Nina Simone recording. The subject matters less than the fact that there is one.

What could you give a surprisingly good ten-minute talk about, with no preparation?

This is the single most useful thing you'll tell us. It's usually how we know who to seat you next to.

Part 4 of 6

The concept.

Here's the actual thing. Be unkind if you need to be.

The right amount of people, everyone applied for and spoken to beforehand, invitation only, and a guest list that isn't for sale. Does that sound good, or does it sound like a lot?

I'd apply tonight Promising. Go on. Depends entirely on who else is coming Not for me

Everyone does fifteen minutes with us before joining. It takes us a ridiculous amount of time, and we do it for you: you're the one spending a whole evening with whoever else we let in.

Better or worse?

Much better. That's the entire point. Slightly better. I like knowing someone checked. Neutral Worse. That's a lot of admin for a dinner.

Somebody might become a friend. Somebody might become your next collaborator. Somebody might become considerably more interesting after the second glass of wine. We curate who's at the table. What happens between the people at it is their business. Sound right?

Yes. That's exactly the right amount of openness. Neutral. I'd come either way. Not really what I'm after

Good people know good people

Some members bring in people from their own network, and it's how most of the best evenings happen. If you know someone who belongs here, send them our way. They'll still do the fifteen minutes. Your recommendation gets them through the door, their personality does the rest. Recommend carefully, though. Your reputation is involved.

Yes. I have a list already. Maybe. Tell me what it involves. I'd rather just turn up. Not interested

Want to hear from us when we reach your city?

Yes. Put me on the list. Maybe Thanks, but skip me

Part 5 of 6

What would you actually come to?

1 means never, 5 means you're already checking the calendar.

Evenings

Dinner - a table you'd usually need someone's phone number to get invited to. Very good food, and nowhere useful to hide if you're boring.

Private concert - small enough to hear someone breathe between songs. Drinks after. Very little shouting "great set" across twelve metres.

Gallery night - doors closed behind us, someone who genuinely knows the work, and nobody pretending to understand the video installation.

Performance evening - cabaret, spoken word or theatre. Small venue, strong opinions, cocktails afterwards.

Listening session - vinyl, low light, drinks, phones face down and a slow conversation nobody's in a rush to end.

Food and drink

Cooking - one chef, one kitchen, everybody doing something. Competence optional.

Wine or drinks tasting - a producer or a sommelier who answers questions properly, and a group small enough to ask them.

Casual food evening - loud, playful, and everyone's talking to someone within twelve minutes.

Active

Tennis or padel - mixed doubles, forgiving standards, drinks after and a scoreboard nobody's checking.

Morning run or ride - a good route, an early start, and breakfast as the actual agenda.

Hiking day - a day out of the city with people worth walking beside, and dinner at the end of it.

Ski weekend - mountains, good people, dinner, skiing, and an entirely sensible approach to après.

Sailing day - a small crew, sunset drinks on board, minimal nautical competence required.

Away

Weekend retreat - two days somewhere good. Some activity, some rest, excellent food and nothing to organise.

Urban exploration - the version of the city you'd never find alone, with someone who knows the door code.

NeverAlready free that night

Part 6 of 6

The last few questions.

Money, briefly. We'd rather ask than guess.

What do you happily spend money on?

We want a sense of what you think is worth paying for. Select all that apply.

Dinners worth dressing up for Wine club / curated deliveries Theatre / museum memberships Boutique / design hotels Private members club Personal trainer Honestly, none of these

A dinner worth getting dressed for. What do you spend per person without flinching?

Under €50 €50-100. A good night. €100-200. For the right occasion. €200+. If it earns it. I don't look at the price first.

Our evenings run from €30 for a gallery night to €180 for the bigger ones. Knowing the whole table was assembled by hand, what would you pay for your first?

€30-50, for a cultural or gallery format €80-100, for a dinner or cooking evening €120-150, for a premium evening Up to €180, if the experience is right Depends entirely on the format Honestly, too much for any event

After a good first evening, membership runs €39-69 a month and opens everything. Would you?

Yes, at €39 Yes, at €54 Yes, even at €69 Maybe, after a great first event Memberships and I have history

Last one. What would make this unmissable for you?

Application received

Done. Now the human part.

We read every application ourselves. If something in yours makes us curious, you'll hear from hello@kindaspecial.com and we'll find fifteen minutes to talk.

That conversation is how we start working out who you should meet.

Because the whole point is simple: when you walk in, the people inside should be worth leaving the house for.

@thisiskindaspecial www.kindaspecial.com

Kinda Special grows one good introduction at a time.

The best night outyou haven't been invited to. Yet.