FAQ
Straight answers, no fine print.
If your question isn’t here, ask a person. We reply within two business days.
What is CIO Cafe?
CIO Cafe is a peer community for chief information officers and senior technology leaders. Members meet in small, vetted, off-the-record tables of eight to work through one hard decision at a time, with no vendors in the room.
How is CIO Cafe different from a CIO conference or analyst community?
Three differences: tables are capped at eight peers, every session is built around one live decision, and vendors and sponsors are excluded by rule. The output is a Field Brief you can use, not a slide deck.
Are tables virtual or in person?
Both. Founders’ and Rising Tables are usually virtual so geography doesn’t decide who’s at the table. Cross-functional Tables usually meet in person.
What is a Field Brief?
A two-page, anonymized summary of a table: the decision, the options peers weighed, what they chose and what they’d change. Everyone at the table reviews it before it goes to members.
Can my company sponsor CIO Cafe?
We don’t sell access to tables or members. If we ever accept sponsorship, it will fund public research only, and it will be disclosed on this page.
Is what I say at a CIO Cafe table really off the record?
Yes. Every CIO Cafe table runs under the Chatham House Rule: you may use what you hear, but never attribute it to a person or an organization. Tables are not recorded. The Field Brief that follows is anonymized and reviewed by the people at the table before it circulates.
Will vendors or sponsors be in the room?
No. Tables are closed to vendors, sponsors and sales roles. Nobody can buy access to members, attendee lists or contact details. If CIO Cafe ever takes sponsorship, it will fund public research, never seats at the table, and that will be disclosed on this page.
How much time does membership take?
Plan on one 90-minute table a month and a pre-read of about ten minutes. Asking peers questions between tables is optional. Tables are scheduled around quarter-end and board cycles, not over them.
Who can join CIO Cafe?
CIO Cafe is for sitting CIOs and the leaders who share their decisions: CTOs, CDOs, CISOs and VPs on the CIO track. Every application is reviewed by hand so that each table stays peer-level. See who it is and isn’t for.
What does it cost?
You will see the full terms before you commit to anything: price, renewal date and how to cancel. Cancelling takes two clicks, with no phone call. Founding-cohort terms are shared with applicants during review. Owner: publish pricing here once set
Can I leave whenever I want?
Yes. You can leave from your account in two clicks. No retention call, no exit interview and no guilt copy.