Harry Stonecipher, Boing CEO who resigned last week, said he had to explain the difference between a meeting and a party to the management when he started some 15 month ago. Obviously in those days meetings at Boing did formally not comply to what a meeting is supposed to look like, but rather resembled parties. Probably he was right about insisting on a formal distinction between the two kinds of social gatherings in question.
My time in advertisement and IT Companies during the last 6 or 7 years has taught me though, that the social and functional difference between parties and meetings is not that big at all. In both cases the promotion of oneself is of great importance and not being invited is the worst. Meetings often have a much higher entertainment factor than ordinary parties. Maybe one should start organizing parties that resemble meetings.