A round table for twelve

A private dinner circle in Paphos, Cyprus,
for people who own and run companies.

A few times a year twelve of us sit down together for an evening and work through a short list of questions. Nothing said at that table is repeated outside it.

Nothing is sold at the table.

Request an invitation

The plateau above KoukliaPaphos, Cyprus

The district, by the register

18 named trades carried on
within a few kilometres
59 of the 114 registered
since the start of 2020
66 of the 114 with no
website of any kind

These are the people you would be sitting with. The table seats twelve, a few times a year, and the names on it are drawn from this count.

For owners, founders and senior executives of an operating company here. Ask for an introduction.

The eighteen trades

  1. Construction and trades17
  2. Retail and e-commerce14
  3. Hospitality and food11
  4. Automotive and transport10
  5. Real estate and property management9
  6. Marketing, media and creative8
  7. Technology and software8
  8. Tourism, leisure and sport6
  9. Home services6
  10. Health, wellness and beauty5
  11. Professional services5
  12. Events and entertainment4
  13. Energy and environment3
  14. Finance and investment3
  15. Agriculture and fishing2
  16. Yachting and marine1
  17. Education and childcare1
  18. Manufacturing and industrial1

114 operating businesses in all, out of 267 registered entities.

What it is

A few private dinners a year, twelve people to a table. There are four rules, and a short list of questions that everyone has read before they arrive. Nobody presents anything and there is no fee.

The format comes from the club Franklin started in 1727, which seated twelve members drawn from twelve different trades and had them bring questions to each meeting instead of answers. The four rules and the eight questions are published in full, so you can read them before anyone asks you to come.

Who it’s for

Owners, founders and senior executives of an operating company connected to Aphrodite Hills or the wider Paphos district. Nothing else is asked. You can live anywhere, own property here or rent one, and be around all year or for three months of it.

How it works

Invitations go out by introduction and by hand. Anyone who sits at the table is asked afterwards for one name worth inviting, and that is how the group grows. The group is larger than the table: each dinner is composed from it, weighted towards trades not already in the room, so most people are waiting at any given time.

Benjamin Franklin, engraved portrait
Benjamin Franklin

Benjamin Franklin’s Junto of 1727 seated twelve members, each drawn from a different trade. The register lists eighteen trades along this stretch of coast.

The four rules and the eight questions.

The four attributes

  • Twelve members
  • A few times a year
  • Good questions
  • What is said stays there
Also on this site: the business landscape, the full count the figures above are drawn from, and a short guide to doing business here covering corporate tax, company setup and banking, hiring, and residency routes for founders.

The form takes about five minutes. Most requests do not lead to an invitation.