“The connections felt intentional, and the conversations naturally led to meaningful opportunities and collaborations that may not have happened otherwise.”
THE PINNACLE PROM™CHARLOTTE · 11.12.26
An analog society salon disguised as a prom.
THE TABLE PEOPLE KEEP TALKING ABOUT IS GETTING A DANCE FLOOR.
Founders. Executives. Artists. Operators.
Creators. Community builders.
Dinner. Cocktails. Portraits. Original art. Live music.
A crown. A dance floor.
And a room designed so the people in it
actually matter to each other.
NOVEMBER 12, 2026
6:30–9:30 PM ET
The Hamilton · Charlotte
FINAL 12 TICKETS · $200
GET MY TICKETPhones down. Dress up. Stay awhile.
The Pinnacle community at ArtPop’s 2026 Upcycled Fashion Show.
UNTIL THE NEXT COLLISION
NOVEMBER 12 · 6:30 PM ET
17Days
00Hours
00Minutes
00Seconds
CURRENT CHAPTER · OCT 28–OCT 29
MANOLO BETANCUR | MANOLO’S BAKERY
THE SWEET DETAIL
An original Pinnacle partner. A Charlotte original. A man whose generosity reaches far beyond his bakery.
Some people have been part of The Pinnacle Dinner™ since the very beginning.
Manolo Betancur is one of them.
A celebrated baker, entrepreneur, and humanitarian, Manolo has built a Charlotte business known for its beautiful creations and its commitment to community.
Named the 2021 World Bread Hero USA, Manolo has received national recognition for his baking and international attention for his humanitarian work. His story is the subject of the award-winning documentary The Changebaker.
And through the years, he’s continued to show up for the people and communities around him, including ours.
We’re proud to welcome Manolo back as an original Pinnacle partner for The Pinnacle Prom™.
He’ll be celebrating with us on November 12 at The Hamilton in Charlotte, bringing the sweetness, the story, and the generous spirit that make him so special.
Come meet the man behind the magic.
The Pinnacle Prom™
November 12, 2026 | 6:30–9:30 PM ET
The Hamilton | Charlotte
01 Cultural collision, curated on purpose.
DIFFERENT WORLDS.
ONE HELL
OF A ROOM.
We’ve brought The Pinnacle Dinner™ into rooms with TEDx.
We collided it with ArtPop.
Now we’re taking the table, adding a dance floor, and throwing The Pinnacle Prom™.
This is what happens when business, art, culture, community and actual human chemistry occupy the same room.
And yes, we plan the collisions.
× PINNACLE
× PINNACLE
PINNACLE
PROM™
02 The receipts
$5M+
In documented business movement connected to Lighthouse-designed rooms, relationships and experiences in 16 months.
Referrals. Sponsorships. Clients. Partnerships. Collaborations. Speaking opportunities. Direct bookings.
Relationship capital that kept moving after dinner ended.
This is what we do here.
Average overall Pinnacle experience rating
9/10
Average curation rating at
ArtPop × The Pinnacle Dinner™
9.4/10
Average likelihood to attend
another Pinnacle Dinner™
100%
Post-room private-directory opt-in
across two Pinnacle and Pinnacle Powered™ rooms
Historical participant feedback and documented ecosystem movement. Directory figure covers completed participant records from ArtPop and the Founders Soirée.
THE PEOPLE.THE POSSIBILITIES.
03 What actually happened in these rooms
“LITERALLY A BUCKET LIST ITEM FOR ME PROFESSIONALLY.”
NICKI BLAND · ARTPOP × THE PINNACLE DINNER™ FEEDBACK
A bucket-list TEDx invitation.
One guest came into ArtPop × The Pinnacle Dinner™ asking for speaking opportunities. She met a TEDx license holder at her table.
That relationship led to an invitation to speak at her TEDx event.
7
24 HOURS. ONE ROOM.
SPEAKING
OPPORTUNITIES.
Within 24 hours of ArtPop × The Pinnacle Dinner™, guests reported seven speaking opportunities connected to conversations from the room.
FROM ACTUAL PINNACLE GUEST FEEDBACK
THEY LEFT.
THE CONVERSATIONS DIDN’T.
Guests have reported secured sponsorships, collaborations, career-relevant connections, referrals, strategic clarity and invitations that continued after the room.
“There were too many [valuable moments] and it would be unfair to choose just one.”
“Meeting Drew and Ruby also felt monumental.”
This is the part that matters. People keep talking after they leave.
04 Before you ever walk in
WE’VE ALREADY
THOUGHT
ABOUT YOU.
Every Prom guest receives a pre-event curation form. We want to know what you’re building, what you need next and what you can offer. Then we use actual human judgment to think about the room. Your table. Your introductions. Your proximity. The conversations worth making easier. That’s why people leave with more than a stack of business cards.
THE PINNACLE PROM™YOUR CURATION CARD
Tell us
about you.
- What are you building?
- What are you looking for next?
- Who would be useful to know?
- What can you offer someone else?
- What kind of person do you usually never end up beside?
A little information. A lot of human judgment.
05 Your night, start to finish
NOW IMAGINE
THAT WITH A PROM.
Dinner. A little ceremony. The kind of night you stay for.
01 / YOU ARRIVE.YOU ARE
EXPECTED.
Our team knows you’re coming.
You move through the Presence Check™ and into a room already alive with people, style and energy.
02 / YOU FIND YOUR TABLE.
Dinner. Cocktails.
Phones down.
People chosen with intention.
And enough time to actually talk.
03 / YOU GET THE PORTRAIT.
WEAR
THE OUTFIT.
Tatiana Berdo is photographing Prom.
Prom Portraits presented by Sally Awad Properties.
You leave with the photograph.
Sally Awad Properties · Anchor Presenting Sponsor · Crown & Prom Portraits Partner
Meet Sally in a five-minute hosted conversation with Kristi about homebuilding, real estate, and making North Carolina home.
See her photography ↗
Luxury real estate advisor. Custom home builder. ↗
04 / THE NIGHT You walk into the art.
OF COURSE ONE
OF THE PAINTINGS
IS CALLED
ALL, CONNECTED.
Original works by Diego Alba become part of the room itself. One in the lounge. One near Prom Portraits. One inside the world of The Salon After Dark.
Diego will be there too. If the work stops you, meet the person who made it.
DIEGO ALBAMeet the artist ↗
ALL, CONNECTED
ANEMONE
RED ROOM
Being completed especially for the evening. Work-in-progress preview.
Three originals. One evening.
Individual work details and ways to explore Diego’s collection.
ABBEY BLAND
THE SALON AFTER DARK
05 / THEN THE ROOM SHIFTS.
A DRINK
IN YOUR HAND.
THE LIGHTS
CHANGE.
Abbey Bland takes the microphone inside The Salon After Dark.
The Action Imperative, founded by Nicki Bland, sponsors The Salon After Dark.
Stay there awhile.
Meet The Action Imperative ↗
NICKI BLAND
Helping bring The Salon After Dark to life.
Portrait: Alissa Randall Photography
06 / THEN WE CROWN SOMEBODY.
MAKES THE
INTRODUCTION.
OPENS THE DOOR.
BRINGS SOMEBODY
ELSE WITH THEM.
The Queen of Connection™ crown celebrates a person who does something this entire community values.
Marie Kelly, our inaugural Queen, passes the crown to Dr. Jennifer Adelhardt.
A little ceremony. A lot of meaning.
CROWN PARTNERSally Awad Properties
07 / DINNER GIVES WAY TO AFTER PROM.
THE DJ
COMES UP.
THE DANCE
FLOOR FILLS.
Elizabeth Kowalski and Neon Rose Productions take over.
And the adults who spent the first half of the night talking business, art, ideas and life finally get to act like they have nowhere else to be.
Music, production + After Prom by Neon Rose ↗THE LOOK IS PART OF THE STORY.
GET DRESSED.
MEAN IT.
Darrell Anderson · St. Mark Vintage
Creating Kristi’s one-of-one Prom look.
From phone-valet totes for our ArtPop dinner to a paid creative commission.
The designer is revealed.
The dress stays a secret.
Step into Darrell’s world ↗Eastern Opulence collection photography: Aaron D. Smalls, Jamaal.Josef, KoArms, Stephon Brock and Trysta Kerekes. Explore collection credits ↗
06 The people make the night.
YOU DON’T HAVE
TO RECOGNIZE
EVERY NAME.
That’s kind of the point.
You might walk in knowing three people and leave knowing the one person who changes what happens next.
Among the founders, executives, artists, operators and community builders who make this room possible:
FAITH HILL
Bohēma Holistic Beauty. Community partner helping bring more remarkable people into the room.
Meet Faith’s community ↗
STETSON PATTON
Socially Stetson. Helping document the stories and people behind Prom.
Meet Socially Stetson ↗
MANOLO BETANCUR
Manolo’s Bakery. An original Pinnacle partner, bringing dessert and his generous spirit to the evening.
Meet Manolo’s Bakery ↗Arin’s Good Girl Dog Treats · Our paid take-home treat partner, supporting meaningful work for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Meet Arin’s ↗
Julie + Darla + Tiffany Rosen · The hosts behind the hosting, with Presence Check™ Collector Tags by Bless This Mess Craft Co.
And dozens of people who came because somebody said:
“You need to be in this room.”
THIS COMMUNITY HAS RANGE.
ACCESS TO
DIFFERENT
WORLDS.
One night it’s TEDx. Another night it’s ArtPop.
Another night it’s founders around a private estate table.
Another night it’s operators. Another night it’s a Prom.
Because people rarely need another panel.
They need access to different worlds.
That’s where the interesting shit happens.
07 Rare people. Rare Room™.
BRING SOMETHING
TO THE ROOM.
Pinnacle people operate by a RARE standard.
R
RELATIONSHIPS
Know people beyond the immediate transaction.
A
ACCESS
Open the door. Share the room. Make the introduction.
R
RESOURCES
Expertise. Ideas. Relationships. Opportunities. Capital. Knowledge.
E
ENERGY
Bring something to the room.
Rare people make the room more valuable because they are in it.
WHO SHOULD COME?
BRING
YOUR PERSON.
OR COME
ALONE.
Bring your partner. Bring your best friend.
Bring the colleague you actually like.
Bring the person you keep saying you need to have dinner with. Bring someone who should know Charlotte better.
First-timers are absolutely welcome.
You do not need to know Kristi.
You do not need to have attended a Pinnacle Dinner.
You do need to show up ready to participate.
COME TO PROM08 What your $200 ticket includes
ONE TICKET.
THE WHOLE NIGHT.
$200PER GUESTDinner. Cocktails. Your professional Prom portrait.
Curated seating. Thoughtful introductions.
Original art throughout the room. Live music.
The Queen of Connection™ ceremony.
DJ-led After Prom. Dancing.
A private guest directory after the evening.
YOUR TICKET. YOUR NEXT STEP.
After checkout, complete the individual Pinnacle Prom Curation Card linked on your confirmation page. Set aside about six minutes. Each guest completes their own card so we can plan seating, introductions, dietary needs, and accessibility.
Keep your purchase confirmation. Tell us who you’re attending with on your card so we can plan your seats together. Guest information for the private directory is shared by choice.
THE PINNACLE PROM™
THE
PEOPLE
YOU MET.
YOUR PRIVATE GUEST DIRECTORY
SHARED BY CHOICE. BUILT TO CONTINUE.
THE PART AFTER THE PARTY MATTERS TOO.
THE ROOM ENDS.
THE RELATIONSHIPS
DON’T HAVE TO.
After Prom, guests receive a private directory containing the information participants chose to share.
Find the person from your table. Follow up with the artist you met. Send the introduction you promised. Continue the conversation you started at the bar.
You choose whether to be listed and which details fellow guests can see.
THE TABLE HAS ALREADY MOVED MILLIONS.
NOW WE’RE
CELEBRATING
WHAT THE
COMMUNITY BUILT.
The introductions. The collaborations. The commissions.
The friendships. The clients. The paid work. The stages.
The people who brought another person through the door.
Prom is the celebration.
And the next collision.
A FEW THINGS BEFORE YOU COME.
GOOD
TO KNOW.
How do you plan the seating?
We read your guest curation card and use what you share to plan tables and introductions. Tell us who you’re attending with so we can plan your seats together.
How do we keep in touch afterward?
You’ll receive a private guest directory with participants’ shared details. You choose whether to be listed and which details to share with fellow guests.
Can I come if I’ve never attended a Pinnacle Dinner?
Absolutely. First-timers are welcome. Our hosts will greet you, help you find your place, and make introductions. Complete your guest curation card so we can plan your table.
Can I sit with my date or guest?
Tell us who you’re attending with in your guest information so we can plan your seats together. Each guest needs their own ticket. We use guest details to help shape the tables and introductions.
Do I need a date?
Come solo, with a friend, with a partner, or with the person you want to introduce to Charlotte. Your seat is part of the room either way.
What kind of evening is this?
Think dinner party, modern salon, and a DJ-led After Prom in one beautifully considered evening. The room makes space for conversation, ceremony, dinner, dancing, and the relationships that grow between them.
What does black tie optional mean here?
Tuxedo, gown, cocktail dress, velvet suit, dramatic jacket, excellent shoes. Formal is welcome. Personality is expected.
Will this be phone-free?
Phones come down during dinner so you can enjoy the people at your table. Professional photography is included, and the rest of the evening has room for your own photos, too.
What does my ticket include?
Your $200 ticket includes curated seating and introductions, dinner, cocktails, a professional portrait, live music by Abbey Bland, the Queen of Connection™ ceremony, DJ-led dancing, and the private guest directory afterward. Each guest needs a ticket.
Who do I contact about a guest or ticket question?
Email Kristi with your name and your question. Include your order details if you have already purchased.
THE PINNACLE PROM™
GOOSEBUMPS
GUARANTEED.
Probably a great portrait too.
Thursday, November 12, 2026
6:30–9:30 PM ET
The Hamilton · Charlotte
Black tie optional. Modern maximalism encouraged.
Come solo. Bring your person.
FINAL 12 TICKETS · $200
COME TO PROMPhones down. Dress up. Stay awhile.
GET DRESSED.WE’LL HOST THE NIGHT.