Official Dinners and Luncheons

When both women and men are attending the event, seating works as follows:

• The highest-ranked male guest sits to the right of the hostess.
• The man next in rank sits to the left of the hostess.
• The wife of the highest-ranking man sits to the left of the host. (If the man is unmarried, the highest-ranking woman takes this seat.)
• Spouses in attendance who don’t hold an official position are seated according to the rank of their husbands or wives.
• Guests who have no protocol ranking are seated according to the unspoken rank the host assigns to them. The host ranks guests as he chooses, basing his decision on age, social prominence, personal accomplishments, and mutual interests shared by seatmates. Proficiency in a foreign language also comes into play when foreigners are among the guests.