12 Most Exclusive and Expensive Conferences in the World

9 min readJan 25, 2021

An exclusive conference is a way for people to filter quality information and mingle with truly like minded people to avoid wasting time. Influential people and leaders don’t hang out in usual places, there is a reason why we never see Jack Ma or Elon Musk in just about any coffee shop or restaurant in the world. People who possess high quality information, operate at high speed. This means, that you will only be able to find them and converse with them if you are in the right mind zone, and most of the time the quality minds and amazing conversations that you find nowhere else is found only in the most premium conferences in the world.

The super elite and the most secretive people in the world hang out in exclusive places and tend to be selective with the people they hang out with. While some are undoubtedly staying in prestigious hotels and resorts, you cannot mingle with them or interrupt anyone while they are having a vacation or an expensive meal. Only exclusive conferences give people the opportunity to discuss ideas with influential people and leaders. The most exclusive and ultra expensive conferences include world leaders, members of the royal family, billionaires, tech moguls and high profile celebrities. Access to these exclusive forums come with a huge price tag, and most of these events are by invitation only. You might have the money and the resources to do so, and still not get an invite. This is because some of the greatest information in the world is top secret, classified and only reserved to the ones who are already in tune with the right dimension.

1. The World Economic Forum

( Davos, Switzerland)

This forum tries to focus on economic and environmental policies and the most pressing issues that the world is facing today. It is usually held in Davos, Switzerland, but other conferences that are in line with the World Economic Forum also transpire in China. This January 2020 the conference in Switzerland will cost delegates $70K — $210K to attend. Political leaders and influential ambassadors are in attendance to discuss global super trends and challenges when it comes to global warming and the emergence of new markets. Companies who can attend must have an annual revenue of at least one billion dollars to receive an invitation to attend.

Some of the notable guest speakers for this forum is Cate Blanchett, Malala Yousafzai, David Cameron and Bono.

2. Milken Institute Global Conference

The Milken Institute Global Conference is on its 22nd year. This global conference brings together leading minds in business, technology, government, media, healthcare and philanthropic works including top novelists of our time. The last conference was held in Los Angeles, California on April 28, 2019. The cost of the conference is $15,000 — $50,000.

Ivanka Trump the Presidential daughter and powerful fashion mogul is also included in the roster of speakers for this prestigious conference.

The notable guests who attended include Jane Goodall, Joe Biden, Tom Brady and Reese Witherspoon, former US President Bill Clinton.

3. Demo

With over 25 years of experience Demo remains one of the most exclusive and expensive events to attend. You need to register and pay $18,500 to attend so you can directly connect with potential investors and creators of products in almost any field. There are usually 70 pitches but no Power Point or other presentation aid is allowed, the speakers are only permitted 6 minutes to discuss their innovative products to investors. Waze and Evernote was launched in this conference, as well as Jawbone and this event is supported by Forbes.com

The DEMO conferences in the United States, China, Brazil, Russia and Vietnam focus on emerging technologies and new product innovations.

4. Moola Forum — International Luxury Conference

As we all should know by now, Asian countries are emerging as leaders in the tech community and for thousands of years now, the wealth of Asia cannot be disputed. Moola Forum is one of the most opulent conferences in Asia and holds the key to meeting the most elusive and exclusive members of the Asian Elite.

Moola Forum has been working with luxury lifestyle consultants, private wealth advisers, and luxury affiliate marketers throughout Asia since 2013. And over the years, it has built professional and personal relationship with high-net-worth individuals in Asia, executives of top corporations, members of Asian royal families, and super many old-money families with utmost exclusivity and privacy.

Hence, Moola Forum is very well aware of who to invite to see who and to speak with who. Most of the time when in doubt, a routine performance background check on new providers in town is done before finally building the bridge between them and the high-net-worth individuals.

Moola Forum usually announces luxury events through its authorized members who — by heart — live the ethics and procedures in this exclusive organization. Moola Forum may invite a person, but could cancel such an invitation due to conflicts of interest or other reasons.

Thus, you can’t simply attend the Meetup or the Conference because you like it even if you have all the means to pay for the tickets. First, build a good relationship with any member of Moola Forum, and they may be the only key to receive an invitation from our organization or receive approval of your application to attend the Meetup or Conference/

Moola Forum luxury events are always attended by high-net-worth individuals and ultra-high-net-worth individuals, their luxury lifestyle consultants and private wealth advisers, heirs and heiresses to Asian fortunes, luxury affiliate marketers, c-level executives, serial entrepreneurs, angel investors, venture capitalists, private equity investors, and investment bankers.

How much does an Access cost?

Local Luxury Meetup: US$450 for Individual Access / US$1,125 for Company Access

Local Luxury Conference: US$1,500 for Individual Access / US$3,000 for Company Access

International Luxury Conference: US$5,000 for Individual Access / US$7,500 for Company Access

5. WSJ Tech D. LIVE

WSJ Tech D. LIVE is the Wall Street Journals premier global technology event series where only the most ambitious people in the world are present. Some of the most notable speakers are Kobe Bryant, Gwyneth Paltrow, Kevin Systrom and Kate Hudson. It is usually priced at $6500 for conferences held in Laguna Beach, California.

6. TED Conference

The TED talks and the TED Conference is probably one of the most visible kind of conference in the mass media. In Canada the average cost of attending a TED conference is $5,000 — $25,000. TED conferences involve vast topics when it comes to emerging technologies including that of talks of superhuman powers and pursuits as well as mind-bending science. It welcomes inspiring and creative movements in every walk of life. Some of the most notable guests include Tony Robbins, Elizabeth Gilbert and David Blaine.

You need to apply through a rigorous process before you can attend the TED Conference. The organizers browse through every application, and actively seek out listeners who are leaders and thinkers. If you’d like to attend a TED Conference, you must apply for membership. Due to limited seating and high demand, conferences sell out very quickly.

7. The Human Gathering

The Human Gathering is a 3- Day immersive experience that brings together the top minds in business, technology, philanthropy and the arts. The ticket for the California Conference is $3, 995 and is only given to selected individuals. The list of the attendees are usually confidential just like the Moola Forum in Asia. Joshua Jordison is the cofounder of The Human Gathering, which he created out of frustration from attending conferences that wasted his time and money. Jordison and cofounder, Wes Chapman, launched The Human Gathering in early 2016 with the concept of bringing together those who desire to “leave a mark” on this world. It attracts some of the most influential founders, executives, scientists, celebrities, artists, investors and philanthropists. The conference is much more intimate and involves the creative arts.

8. The Summit Series

The Summit Series is usually held in Los Angeles, California and is usually priced at $3000 to $5,000. Like Moola Forum of Asia, the event is by invitation only. They invite entrepreneurs, athletes, artists, astronauts, authors, chefs, engineers including spiritual leaders and scientists. Attendees can select the Summit Mountain Series as a weekend getaway type of conference where they get to stay in Powder Mountain a 10,000 acre resort in Eden, Utah.

Some of the most notable speakers here are Richard Branson and Bill Clinton.

9. Aspen Ideas Festival

Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook is one of the most notable speakers at Aspen Ideas Festival. He discussed in here the company views about privacy and more. This conference is usually held in places like Colorado and is priced at $2,000 — $3,800. This conference was set up for public leaders around the globe around many disciplines. Other notable speakers in this festival is Al Gore and John Kerry.

10. PopTech

PopTech’s annual conference usually costs around $2000 and centers around promoting authentic human connections. Some of the attendees in the festival that became notable speakers are Malcolm Gladwell and John Legend. PopTech involves interactive sessions, fireside chats, real fireplaces, late night debates, camping, including music creation. Lodging inquiries and reservations can be made directly with Point Lookout.

11. Web Summit

The first Web Summit was held in 2008, the next one will be in November 4 to 7 in 2019. The cost of tickets is $750 — $1,100, the summit started from 400 to 70,000 attendees from 170 countries. Web Summit is considered by Europe as the largest technology marketplace”. Web Summit brings together the people and companies redefining the global tech industry. Brad Smith of the Microsoft Corporation is one of the most high profile speakers in the event including Elie Seidman the CEO of Tinder.

12. F50

This conference is usually held in Silicon Valley, California and usually costs around $600 — $4,000. It is headed by Peter Thiel a venture capitalist. The F50 is classified as a promising conference for technology companies in North America. This is attended by start up leaders, and their corporate partners and investor network. The F50 was created to support the growth of companies in attendance together with corporate partnership, market development, and venture capital financing, together with our network of corporate members, VC, PE, and experts.

Influencers in the community like Baron Davis- an Angel investor are some of the notable attendees.