Take a walk with Rich Stromback, and it’s easy to feel like you're part of the Davos elite.
I’ve had parties where there’ll be $300 billion in personal net worth in the room.
Stromback is a venture capitalist who started attending the World Economic Forum’s
annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland more than 10 years ago.
The meeting hosts thousands of politicians, business leaders and academics,
but it's no secret the real action happens outside of the conference.
The type of things that lead to engagement, that happens
in these very small intimate spaces like this place.
This year, he will host more than 600 hours of events, sessions and parties
attracting celebrities like Wyclef Jean and Tony Blair.
It’s a guest list worthy of an official event - but it’s entirely unofficial.
Just, you know, super exclusive. VVIP.
VVIP?
VVIP.
What does the V stand for? Very?
Very, very important.
Very VIP. Oh, very, very important.
Everyone here is a VIP, but then there’s another level of event that’s VVIP.
Davos is an invite-only event, and even if you do get an invite, getting in is not cheap.
First you need a World Economic Forum membership which costs
somewhere between $60,000 and $600,000.
And there’s an additional fee of more than $27,000 per person to get into the conference.
The high price tags and exclusivity haven’t been enough to turn away some visitors
who want a slice of the Davos experience here in the Swiss Alps.
By some accounts, 80 percent of people here this week don’t have an official badge.
Start-up founder Dan Vahdat is one of those people.
I think that’s the key thing for Davos and for everyone, it’s more about connections.
What’s been the best part of the week so far?
I think the highlight was I had a really good chat with
John Kerry, the Secretary of State, former Secretary of State.
And that was here, at an unofficial side event?
Yes, it was at an event last night.
Unofficial events have sprouted up along the main promenade here in Davos,
and there's even an app to help you navigate the unofficial schedule.
Behind us there’s a cannabis event. A few steps away there's a blockchain conference.
We are a side event and we make sure that we bring our community together here at Davos.
We started here and, frankly, for the last couple of years, people really enjoyed it,
so it’s a great way to convene our global membership and our supporters.
This is where some of the deals get done?
Yes, absolutely.
Attending Davos as an unofficial guest still isn’t easy.
It requires buying a ticket to Switzerland, and expenses on the ground like housing and food are not cheap.
But for some, it’s a price worth paying - if only for the photo opps.
All these celebrity pictures. I got just about everybody
from Klitschko and Matt Damon to prime ministers of countries you've never heard of.
So, I mean, I think that’s kind of the highlight.
Hey everyone, Elizabeth here. Thanks so much for watching our video.
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