Hosted by The 48 Group
The “Icebreakers”Chinese New Year Dinner 2027
Celebrating the Year of the Goat
Friday 29 January 2027, 17:45 to 22:45
The Dorchester, Park Lane, London
Black tie
Pre-booking is open. General sales open Monday 2 November. The 2026 dinner sold to capacity.
Five hundred people you cannot cold-call.
One evening a year, the people who shape British and Chinese business sit down together: cabinet ministers and ambassadors, chairs and chief executives of FTSE 100 and Fortune 500 companies, and the leadership of China’s largest state-owned enterprises.
Government and diplomacy
Cabinet ministers, parliamentarians, the Chinese Ambassador to the UK and senior embassy representation.
Corporate leadership
Chairs, chief executives and board directors from FTSE 100 and Fortune 500 businesses.
Chinese state and institutional
China’s Ministry of Commerce, CCPIT, provincial and municipal delegations, and the major Chinese banks.
Capital, academia and culture
Institutional investors, university leadership, national media and figures from the arts.
- 500+
- Senior attendees from business, government, diplomacy and media
- 60+
- Chairs, chief executives and ambassadors
- 30+
- Chinese state-owned and private companies
- 92%
- Of surveyed guests rated the evening excellent
Figures from the 2026 dinner.
Recent attending organisations include
- Bank of China
- HSBC
- Rio Tinto
- PetroChina
- ICBC
- Standard Chartered
- Goldman Sachs
- UBS
- KPMG
- EY
- PwC
- London Stock Exchange
- Alibaba
- China Eastern
- Virgin Atlantic
Joining us in 2027
His Excellency Ambassador Zheng Zeguang
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the People’s Republic of China to the United Kingdom since 2021. His presence reflects the enduring importance of the UK–China relationship this evening exists to champion.
Before diplomacy, there was trade.
In 1953, with formal channels between London and Beijing effectively closed, a small group of British businessmen led by Jack Perry Sr. travelled to China and signed the first Sino-British trade agreement of the modern era. The press called them the Icebreakers.
The 48 Group still carries that mandate, now chaired by Jack Perry Jr., the third generation of the family to lead it.
Past keynote speakers
- Lord Heseltine, Founding Patron
- Lord Mandelson
- David Miliband
- George Osborne
The Icebreaker Awards have honoured figures including Dominic Barton, Chairman of Rio Tinto and former Canadian Ambassador to China.
The spirit of the “Icebreaking Mission” is being passed down from generation to generation.
January, at The Dorchester.
Photographs from the 2026 dinner.
The company you would be keeping.
Sponsors of the 2026 Icebreakers Dinner, and of the decades before it.
- Platinum
- Bank of China, HSBC, Rio Tinto, Octopus Energy, ATFX
- Gold
- ICBC London, PetroChina, China Mobile International, DENZA, SPD Bank
- Silver
- Tsingtao, China Construction Bank, China Minsheng Bank, UnionPay
- Longer-standing
- Accenture, Standard Chartered, Goldman Sachs, UBS, KPMG, EY, PwC, Waitrose, China Eastern, China Southern, Virgin Atlantic, Yanghe, Alibaba, London Stock Exchange
Payment was cancelled, so nothing was booked. You can pre-book again below.
Pre-book your place.
Pre-booking runs until general sales open on Monday 2 November. Pay now to hold your places. We confirm them by email, and refund you in full if we can’t.
The 2026 dinner sold to capacity and ran a waiting list for individual places.
Individual place
One seat at a shared table
£395 + VAT
Table of 12
The standard full table, for your own guests and clients
£3,475 + VAT
£289.58 + VAT per guest
Every place includes a drinks reception, a three-course dinner, the speeches and Icebreaker Awards, lion dance and entertainment, and a gift bag.
Pre-book and pay
Choose seats or a table and pay by card on Stripe’s secure checkout.
We confirm your places
Places are allocated in order of pre-booking. We email the lead booker within five working days of general sales opening.
Or refund you in full
If we can’t confirm your places, the full amount goes back to your card within 10 working days.
Paying for a table by invoice? Email [email protected] with your organisation’s details.
Before you book
What does a place include?
A drinks reception, a three-course dinner at The Dorchester, the evening’s speeches and the Icebreaker Awards, lion dance and entertainment, and a gift bag.
How does pre-booking work?
You pay now to hold your places. Places are allocated in order of pre-booking, and we email the lead booker to confirm them within five working days of general sales opening on Monday 2 November.
What happens if my places can’t be confirmed?
You get a full refund to the card you paid with, within 10 working days.
Can my company pay for a table by invoice?
Yes. Email [email protected] with your organisation’s details and we’ll send an invoice.
Where will I sit?
Individual places are at shared tables, arranged by the organisers. A table of 12 is yours to fill with your own guests.
When do I give guest names and dietary requirements?
Once your places are confirmed, we’ll email the lead booker to collect guest names and dietary requirements.
What is the dress code?
Black tie.
Is sponsorship still available?
Sponsorship packages include a reserved table and recognition across the evening. Contact Stephanie Affleck at [email protected] for the 2027 prospectus.