Ubik by Philip K. Dick (it's hard to cherry pick his best work though, ask me a different day and I will choose The Three Stigmata or Do Androids Dream or something else)
The Stars My Destination by Alfred Bester (simply a good story and a great background)
1984 by George Orwell.
What all these books share is the idea that sci-fi is about social, cultural and economic dynamics, not ships or time travel.
That is my definition of sci-fi: An on-going essay about the evolution of the dynamics of society, using exotic technology/science merely as a catalyst.
Runner up: Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card
Could never finish (can't recommend):
- Neuromancer
- Cryptonomicon (Does the author feel entitled to mock the homosexuality of Alan Turing? Found that somewhat arrogant and in bad taste.)
My first impression was that you want to promote 1-day consultancy transactions focused on specialist advisory and/or mentoring.
My second impression was that it would be a idea grooming platform where people get together.
Which are you leaning towards? #1 may sound boring (actually, I find it cool) but I think it has a market, whilst #2 may have a greater appeal but you'd have to build some monetization strategy upon it (and it sounds awfully like co-working spaces for trendy startups)