Hello there, we’ve been expecting you. Thank you for joining us at Casa Cinco.

Our events are starting to kick off - and yes, of course you’re invited. See below for more details.

This week we’re questioning birthday cakes at the office, £12 lattes, and relative thinking. Happy reading!

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Andy

HAPPENING AT CASA CINCO

Our events are kicking off the week of March 25th and yes, you’re invited. Click the button below for a sneak peak of The Calendar (Can’t be bothered? Check our Instagram for live updates).

👋HEY LONDON: Join our (unconventional) Book Club, experience white wines in good company, and pop by our open house on Sundays.

👋HEY MADRID: Get a taste of the events going on in London, plus come flirt with us before the Feria de Sevilla. Yes, you read that correctly.

👋HEY MUNICH: Keep an eye out, we’re coming soon.

We’ll follow up with more details and RSVP’s in our next newsletters. Have an idea in mind? Reply to this email and let’s have a chat.

FOR INSPIRATION

Casa Cinco is all about connection - meaningful connection. But, how do you get people to connect meaningfully? That is what Priya Parker set out to answer in her book, The Art of Gathering. Her take: our everyday gatherings are missing purpose, (good) controversy, and rules. 

I’ll give you an example. There are few things I enjoy less than birthdays at the office. You’re deep into your work when Janet from HR randomly ushers you to a conference room because “it’s Timmy’s birthday, shhh!”. Upon being called last, Timmy enters the room to the count of three after which a cacophonous Happy Birthday is attempted by a max. of five people. Timmy blows his candles and everyone returns to their seats. End of celebration. No meaningful connection.

Put simply, we have stopped paying attention to the way we gather. At Casa Cinco, we want to reincorporate meaningful connection into everyday gatherings. You too? You can start by following Priya’s three steps: 

1. Set a purpose to your gathering: Must be specific and disputable, meaning the event isn’t meant for everybody (and no, ‘birthday’ isn’t a purpose - it’s an event category)

2. Encourage (good) controversy: Gatherings now sound the same - just small talk around weather, work, and weather again. While etiquette may preserve some harmony, it strips out the heat in gathering. Ask that random question, say that weird thing, tell that incredible story. Spice it up people!

3. Set rules: Explicit pop-up rules as simple as “no phones during Timmy’s celebration” or “no talking about the weather” can have immense power in creating a temporary, alternative world. Get creative and be clear

The inspiration for you is: ban birthday cakes at the office and follow the steps above instead. Remember - gatherings are conduits for human connection, not just checklists and small talk. Happy birthday imaginary Timmy!

FOR CONVERSATION

@simplyrasha

I got so many questions about reservations and prices at the Louis Vuitton café in Paris so here are all the details! 📍2 Rue du Pont Neuf... See more

For the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic, global spend on luxury experiences surpassed that of luxury goods. This trend is only expected to continue as Gen Z and Gen Alpha grow to dominate global luxury spend in the next decade (yes, we’re all wondering how young people can afford nice things).

A recent masterclass at EHL posed the question: is the luxury industry getting into hospitality, or is hospitality becoming a core competence of luxury brands?

I want to think the answer is obvious: hospitality has to be a core competence of all brands - not just luxury. It all comes down to connection. However… if we’re spending £12* on a Louis Vuitton latte, are we seeking connection or doing it for the ‘Gram?

*Price not verified

FOR ACTION

We’re taught to think in relative terms, when we should embrace the absolute. No fancy quote here, this is a Casa Cinco maxim. Picture below for added dramatic effect.

Think about it. Got a 10% discount? Well, you still spent £100 on shoes you didn’t need. Your marketing expenses were “only” 5% above budget? That’s a couple thousand the company could have invested on team building instead. You are thankful because others don’t have it as good as you? That should make you mad, not thankful.

Embrace the absolute and notice how it changes your perception of value. Thought piece on this coming soon (more of a rant than a thought piece, but actionable nonetheless).

Want more of Casa Cinco? Founding Member subscription coming soon. Get access to:

• 15% discount on all Casa Cinco events

• Invite-only events

• Early access to Casa Cinco applications (coming fall 2024)

• Casa Cinco WhatsApp group

• And more…

We’ll talk soon. Thank you for joining us at Casa Cinco

Not sure Casa Cinco is for you? Have advice on how we could improve? Schedule a quick chat with Andy.