Updated posts 2026
Billionaires converged in Palm Beach at a private country club for a socially distanced 1640 Society Family Office Wealth Forum limited to 150 people. The Forum was held outdoors in Palm Beach with moguls, billionaires and entrepreneurs flying in from across the globe. Most of the guests own private planes so could easily fly in safely for the Forum. Participation in the network is by invitation only and includes some of the most prominent family members, heirs and high net worth investors from across the globe including Asia, Mid East, Europe & Latin America, as members of its exchange. The 1640 Society annual private meeting is an exclusive invitation-only event that brings together leading family members, family offices, and wealthy leaders from around the globe for a closed door private discussion about issues affecting the global elite and top one percent.
Palm Beach has taken on greater weight on this circuit over the past few years, as a wave of finance and technology wealth relocated to South Florida and brought its institutions along. The result is a season that now rivals the Hamptons summer for density of private gatherings, with the added advantage of falling in winter when northern alternatives are closed. For an invitation-only forum drawing guests from four continents, holding it here means most attendees are already in the state.
The Forum kicked off Sunday evening at a private waterfront home in Palm Beach over cocktails by Lucky 29 and Mirabeau Gin along with Mirabeau Rose wine. The event continued on Monday with discussions ranging from leading CIO’s comparing asset allocation strategies, a panel with leading CEOs from across the globe, several billionaires including one of the wealthiest families who had flown in from Turkey, a relative of Prince Albert of Monaco, a leading Swiss family and the heir to the Driscoll berry fortune discussing philanthropy, Barry Sternlicht, Chairman & CEO of Starwood gave insightful comments on private equity, real estate future outlook, Alan Patricof spoke on health and wellness, the billionaire Bailleres family from Mexico gave insights on family legacy, and billionaire Sandro Salsano spoke with Winnick’s CEO. Outback Steakhouse founder Tim Gannon spoke with his son Chris CEO of Bolay and gave a great example of next gen family leadership with both father and son founding and leading top restaurant brands as well as winning the US Open Polo Championships years apart. The day ended with guests mingled over cocktails.
With some of the most influential families in the Palm Beach attending, not all high net worth families who applied to the forum got admittance. The 1640 Society runs the forum like a country club and so there is a rigorous approval process, with only a few hundred families getting approved to join on an annual basis. Families who got past the ultimate selection process included leading names like the Pitcairns, Kennedy’s, Bush, Firestone’s, Ford’s, Rockefeller’s, Bronfman’s, Kettering, Getty’s, Kluge, Pritzker’s, Johnson’s, Heinz, Hunt’s, Musk (co-founder of PayPal), along with international magnets like the Mittal family from India and the Pears families from Europe.
