Bezos and Sanchez welcomed guests Thursday night in Venice, with an event in the cloisters of the Madonna dell'Orto. The A-list guest roster is expected to include more than 200 people, whether from politics, entertainment, technology, and finance.

Veneto Gov. Luca Zaia was first to give an estimated tally for the Bezos/Sánchez bash: He told reporters this week the most recent total he saw was between 40 million and 48 million euros (up to $56 million).