Notes from the Magic Mountain
The Hustle: How First-Timers Secure Private Side-Event Invites
Outreach that actually works, not just 'message people on LinkedIn.'
Last updated: August 2026
Start months out, not the week of
- Side-event programming gets planned early — hosts are filling panels and guest lists well before January, not scrambling the week itself. Reaching out once you're already in Davos is close to useless for anything beyond what's genuinely open to walk-ins. If you want a real shot, the work happens in the autumn, not on the ground.
Bring an angle, not a title
- Hosts aren't short on people with impressive job titles. They're short on genuinely different perspectives to fill a specific panel or theme. A message that says who you are gets ignored; a message that says exactly what you'd add to their specific session gets read. Do the work of finding out what they're actually programming before you write to them.
One message is not a strategy
- A single cold outreach rarely lands. A short, genuine follow-up closer to the date — referencing something current, not just checking in — is normal, not pushy. Most people who get invited to something worthwhile weren't first-touch successes; they were the ones who stayed on the radar over a couple of months.
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