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  • 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 a kind of 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.

  • 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.

  • Let us know what you think about our Davos coverage in the comments section, and if you have any other ideas leave them there, too.

  • Check out all of our other videos over here.

  • Talk to you later!

Take a walk with Rich Stromback, and it's easy to feel like you're part of the Davos elite.

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