OCTOBER 8-10 | BOLOGNA ITALY

Some conversations require a different kind of room.

Celsius is a private, invite-only gathering for cross-industry leaders who sit close to real decisions. Founders, creatives, and executives shaping consequential outcomes.

Once a year, we bring 70 to 80 of them together. No panels. No stages. No press. Everything off the record. Just small sessions with people who are curious, open, and from outside your world.

What brings people together isn't title or industry, but a recognition that certain conversations don't happen elsewhere.

The reason people return is harder to articulate. Which is probably the point.

Who Comes

Past Celsians have included leaders from XPRIZE, the White House, Google, Narya Capital, and Parliament, alongside ministers and ambassadors to operators from emerging AI companies, biotechs, Fortune 100 legal teams, and growth-stage funds.

The group is built across sectors by design. Policymakers beside investors, scientists beside filmmakers, technologists beside legal minds. Because the most useful thinking tends to happen between people who don't share an industry or an assumption.

The Format

The three days are structured around discussion, not presentation, panels or keynotes. Sessions are curated but open-ended, designed to surface real questions rather than assume answers.

Participants describe the format as equal parts rigorous and generative, serious without being stiff, collaborative without being transactional. Several have founded companies, shifted strategy, and formed unlikely partnerships based on conversations that began in these rooms.

Celsius creates rooms for intellectual risk-taking through Chatham House Rule, intimate discussion groups, and careful curation that brings together people who wouldn't normally be in the same room. A former cabinet minister alongside a museum director, a biotech founder, a Supreme Court litigator, all wrestling with genuinely hard questions.

A rare setting where those creating, decision making and influencing can actually think out loud with peers doing the same.

Bologna, Italy
Palazzo di Varignana

Bologna has long been shaped by ideas, learning, and debate. The city's pace invites presence and depth, exactly what the gathering requires.

Palazzo di Varignana sits in the hills outside the city. The setting is private, comfortable, and conducive to the kind of extended conversation that doesn't happen in conference centers. Meals are shared. Time is unstructured where it needs to be and the architecture becomes a part of connection.

Your Invitation

You’re here because someone thought you’d value this — and because we agree.

Celsius operates by invitation only.
Registration is non-transferable and valid solely for the invited participant.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • There is not a fixed deadline. We confirm places on a rolling basis as the group takes shape. Invitations are shared in waves. Space is limited by design. If you're planning to join us in Bologna, sooner is better.

  • Yes, there is a registration fee. It covers sessions, programming, content, off-site dinners, airport transfers, all meals, and the full gathering experience over three days.

    Specific pricing is included in your registration access email.

  • Celsius is designed for leaders who carry real responsibility and take conversation seriously. We look for people who value trust, discretion, and the ability to think out loud with peers navigating similar complexity.

    There's no formal eligibility checklist, it's about fit, not credentials. If you've been invited, it's because we believe you'd value what the gathering offers and contribute to the quality of dialogue.

  • Celsius is designed as an intimate forum where every person contributes to the quality of dialogue. Participants are welcome to register significant others but their participation is limited

    Discussion sessions and seated meals are limited to ticketed participants only.

  • Reply to the invitation email you received, or click 'Request Celsius 2026 Registration Access' above. We'll send you the details directly.

  • There isn't a fixed agenda. The gathering is structured around discussion sessions that emerge from the group itself in the lead up of the gathering, what people are genuinely wrestling with, not predetermined topics.

    The format includes: curated sessions, shared meals, and pockets of unstructured time for deeper conversation. By design, the specifics adapt to who's in the room.

    You'll receive more detail on the structure and logistics after you register.

  • You were nominated by someone in the Celsius community, or identified by our team based on your work and the perspective you'd bring to the conversation.

    Celsius operates by referral and invitation only.

  • If you have additional questions or need assistance, feel free to reach out to Candy at candy@celsiusco.com or team@celsiusco.com

About Celsius

Celsius was founded in 2019 as a private forum for leaders navigating complexity in real time. What began as an annual gathering has evolved into both a tradition and a practice. The gathering brings together 70-80 leaders each year for off-the-record conversation. Over time, this has grown into a global community of over 1,000 participants across industries and geographies. The advisory works with foundations, institutions, and private organizations to curate and convene their own leadership communities, applying the same principles of trust, discretion, and depth at scale. Both operate on a simple premise: that certain conversations require the right conditions. Celsius exists to create those conditions.

Founded By

Candy Huff

Founding Members & Advisors

Mohammad Almojel Almojel
Ailish Campbell Mastercard
Lisa Danzig Pandefense Advisory
Mo Elleithee Georgetown Univeristy
Maelle Gavet Flo Health Inc
Jennifer Johnson Covington & Burling LLP
Zachary Karabell River Twice Capital
Emi Kolawole MARGINCALL.AI
Samir Khleif Georgiamune
Ingrid Pierce Walkers Global
John Rendon Rendon Group