Variables MISCELLANEOUS MATTERS OF INTEREST WANGLING WOES All-Access Pass
WHO WOULDN’T WANT TO HOIST A GLASS WITH BONO OR, SAY, Elon Musk? All you have to do is find a way to attend one of those hoity-toity tête-à-têtes that happen in the Alps or California every year. Here’s your guide to wangling invites to a half-dozen of the most exclusive meet-ups of them all. — Steve Brearton
TED CONFERENCE Established: 1984 Exclusivity rating: (out of )
Participants of the annual Vancouver Technology, Entertainment and Design (TED) event have included Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin as well as Bill Gates, but for US$8,500 anyone can apply for membership and attend the conference
THE BILDERBERG GROUP Established: 1954 Exclusivity rating:
Bilderberg calls its annual meeting “a time to listen, reflect and gather insights.” Others call the shadowy meeting of the world’s elite a global government controlling politics and economics. Galen Weston, CEO of Loblaw Cos., and RBC head David McKay attended in 2017
THE WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM Established: 1974 Exclusivity rating:
At the “Woodstock of business” in Davos, Switzerland, musicians, movie stars, politicians, CEOs and billionaires mix at dinners, cocktail parties and roundtables. To rub shoulders with U2’s Bono or Chinese President Xi Jinping, a WEF membership starts at about US$40,000
BOHEMIAN CLUB Established: 1872 Exclusivity rating:
Known as a California bacchanal for the world’s rich and powerful, the club hosted at least two familiar Canadians in 2016: “Peter: I am back from the Bohemian Grove,” former US secretary of state Colin Powell wrote in a hacked email to politician Peter McKay. “Surprise, surprise, I sat next to Stephen Harper”
ALLEN & CO. SUN VALLEY Established: 1983 Exclusivity rating:
Started by private US investment firm Allen & Co., the annual, invitation-only event in Sun Valley, Idaho, features a who’s who of global business leaders and celebrities such as Oprah and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. The gathering has resulted in high-profile mergers, including the 2000 AOL-Time Warner marriage
BERKSHIRE HATHAWAY SHAREHOLDERS CONFERENCE Established: mid-’60s Exclusivity rating:
Open to anyone who owns a Berkshire Hathaway share (class-A shares currently trade at US$246,000), participants attend a host of events and are invited to dine at Omaha’s famous Gorat’s, Warren Buffett’s favourite steakhouse. The 2017 event had a 33-page guidebook
8 | CPA MAGAZINE | NOVEMBER 2017
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