At a Susan MacTavish Best party, you might find yourself squeezed in the hallway next to a venture capitalist, or a trombone player, or a neuroscientist, deep in an unexpected conversation. Or maybe you’re in the dining room, helping yourself to a vast spread of food—beef tenderloin, smoked trout, roasted pork, tapenade. Or in the living room, sprawled on a sheepskin, listening to a musical performance or a talk on genetics or the history of Scotch whisky. You leave with business cards and phone numbers and new ideas, merrier than when you arrived.
At least twice a month, at her San Francisco townhouse and at her loft in New York, Best hosts 50 to 125 people—all with, she says, “a minimum of fuss.” As founder of a lifestyle brand, Living MacTavish, and a PR company, Best Public Relations, she creates these modern-day salons for her clients (who include software start-ups and politicians), slipping them into the swirl of guests to meet and make connections. Tall and slender, Best has the aristocratic look of Cate Blanchett, but has an endearingly goofy side that instantly puts her guests at ease. Her art lies in creating an environment that ignites a spark in everyone who comes.