Every part of human life is manipulation, down to our very survival. It has a negative connotation, but it doesn't need to be bad. I think it becomes bad if you use it to try and take someone's agency from them. For example, saying you'll kill yourself if they don't come to your party even though you know it's a lie. Or you misrepresent some aspect of the matter to trick people into coming. Strategically inviting people to a party isn't bad on its own. This is a statesman vs a con man. How often do people form associations indiscriminately anyway? Of course you want a party attended by compatible people (to some degree), regardless of the desired outcome or purpose. I think this is a good idea, and I'd enjoy such an event. I wouldn't need or want to be paid. I wouldn't even go if I didn't have enough social capital with the person inviting me to trust their intentions.