It wasn't a book club for your average hockey mom.
Sarah Palin scored the attention of Vancouver's elite at an invite-only gourmet dinner Wednesday night to discuss her memoir "Going Rogue: An American Life."
But the former Alaska governor, whose attacks on U.S. President Barack Obama have made her a Tea Party darling south of the border, was missing her usual gaggle of protesters and reporters during the visit.
The well-heeled crowd merely ambled past a single demonstrator on the way into the Vancouver Club Ballroom -- and his protests weren't even aimed at Palin, but Canada's poor record on Kyoto.
"She won't get as many people as Stephen Colbert did when he did his broadcast here, I can tell you that," said Rob Fleming, a local NDP MLA who in passing stopped to ask David Rush, 57, what event he was protesting.
But those who'd shelled out $500 a pop for the exclusive chance at chit-chatting with the one-time Republican vice-presidential candidate weren't taking any jabs.
"She wasn't 75 per cent approved by the people of Alaska because she was stupid or she didn't know what she was doing," said Leroy 'Bus' Fuller, founder of West Coast restaurant chain Earls, as he entered the private event.
"I mean, the girl's got it going on."
People wanted to hear Palin because she's a "political phenomenon," said Peter Brown, a fixture in the business community and chairman of the board of trustees for conservative think-tank Fraser Institute.
"Whether you agree with her or not, the little woman from Alaska has tapped into something in American politics that I don't think anybody knew was there," said Brown, who wouldn't reveal in an earlier interview if he would attend, but was spotted arriving at the event in a limo.
"I think everybody's curious to see what she's all about."
The affair, part of the "Bon Mot Book Club" series, was organized by Leah Costello, who once ran for a federal Conservative seat in North Vancouver and previously worked as the Fraser Institute's director of events.
"Think of this as a TED conference of IdeaCity, but just down the street with your own friends, colleagues, and clients," Costello writes of the event on its website.
"Guests include top-level community leaders from across a diverse range of industry, academia, government, media, and arts and cultural organizations."
The event was sponsored by The Globe and Mail and there was no outside media access offered for the speech.
An attendee of the other book club events said he wasn't a fan of Palin's views, but felt the need to speak in her defence.
"She's probably a fairly nice person," chuckled David Gray, president of The Summit Group consulting firm. "I'm a small town guy, I kind of like parts of her. I don't think she'll be judged too harshly."
Sydney Carlaw, who got an invite because her father is a brokerage business owner, said she finds Palin inspiring.
"I find it amazing that a mother of five children can accomplish all she did as Alaska governor and go through all the criticism she did as VP (candidate) and she's unbelievable," said the 35-year-old.
"I think it's just cool to meet somebody that's gone through so much and remains as strong as she does."
But few of the movers and shakers heading inside were expecting a message Canadian policy-makers could actually use.
"You know what you're going to hear. She has a platform, she talks what she talks about, there's going to be no surprises," said music agent Bruce Allen, who represents Michael Buble and Bryan Adams.
"But I think it will be fun to watch."
During Palin's last visit to Canada, she caused a small flurry by acknowledging that several decades ago her family used publicly-funded medical care in Whitehorse.
