Enda Kenny and Pat Rabbitte have organised a high-profile meeting in Mullingar on Monday to coincide exactly with the Taoiseach's launch of his annual two-day parliamentary party meeting in Cavan.
The Fine Gael and Labour leaders will return to the scene of the "Mullingar accord" - where last year they announced plans to forge a pre-election alliance - in an attempt to upstage the carefully choreographed Fianna Fáil gathering.
The Fine Gael-Labour event is itself being stage-managed to place the idea of an alternative coalition in the public mind as a new political season begins.
Mr Kenny will be accompanied by his deputy leader Richard Bruton, and Mr Rabbitte by his deputy Liz McManus. The two parties jointly announced plans for their meeting yesterday, claiming it would "broaden and deepen the process of engagement and negotiation between the two parties, and will outline joint work which the parties are involved in".
The two sides will meet at lunchtime before holding a press conference and publishing what the parties would only say yesterday was "a document". This is expected to outline the parties' approach to one or more policy areas, although no detailed policy platform is expected from the alternative government until just before, or even after, the next general election.
As they meet, the Taoiseach will deliver his opening speech to the Fianna Fáil parliamentary party in Cavan.
He is expected to criticise the alternative coalition for not publishing detailed policy proposals, and to suggest that they cannot be trusted to maintain economic prosperity.
More than 100 members of the parliamentary party will hear presentations on the economy, childcare and social participation.
The Taoiseach's message to his backbenchers and the public is expected to concentrate on the need to maintain economic growth while tackling issues that are damaging quality of life, such as childcare and excessive commuting times.
Other speakers include AIB economist Oliver Mangan, who will talk about the state of the economy; US academic and author Robert Putnam, professor of public policy at Harvard, who will speak about the decline of community participation in prosperous societies; Dr Maureen Gaffney, Nóirín Hayes and Pam Kearney, who will speak on childcare; and the Ireland rugby team coach, Eddie O'Sullivan.