This is an actual email that was sent to me not long ago — apparently “to benefit the very evolution of our species” and “turn our ripples into waves.” I added the emphasis, removed identifying information, but otherwise this is the exact email as sent. (Spoiler alert: I respectfully declined.)
Hi Rik,
My name is [name] and [friend’s name] referred me to you
We want to invite you to join us and some of your peers [dates] at The [Futuristic-sounding Word] Institute for an industry immersive on the future of reality in [Fancy Coastal City]. – exploring VR/AR/MR, Impact and Mindfulness, for more info: [URL]
This intensive is focused on the nexus of transformation and innovation. The reality revolution and the mindfulness movement combined with impact initiatives and empathy generators are powerful change agents that can be utilized to benefit the very evolution of our species. Information can be found here regarding partners/people: [URL].
We were also asked to lead [Futuristic-sounding Word]’s campus-wide Wednesday evening session and we have chosen to focus on Diversity and Inclusion. James and I are both deeply committed to activism and impact initiatives both of which will be part of our matrix during our time together.
[event logistics information]
If you or someone you know in the ‘Reality’ industry would benefit from attending the Summit from a D/I perspective with the intent to be the change and bring more diversity and inclusion to both the mindfulness movement and the tech industry, please let me know. If you are not able to join us but would like to support more Diversity and Inclusion at [Futuristic-sounding Word] Institute, this is the time to show that support. [Futuristic Word]’s Yearly Benefit weekend begins when our Summit ends. We would love to leave a positive trace so that others can turn our ripples into waves. If you feel called to know how you can be of support, please contact us.
Lastly, we are proud to be promoting positive possibility with our values aligned VR Media Partner for the Summit – [company name], so the inititatives we co-create can transcend [Futuristic-sounding Word] and scale globally.
We truly hope you can join us!
In Community and ‘Reality’,
[name]
Pro-tip: If you letter sounds like it was written by a spam-bot programmed with the program from the 2015 SXSWInteractive festival, you may want to hire a better communications person.