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American Express runs an appealing advertising campaign that brags it can get wealthy cardholders to the front of the line.

Well, skipping past the crowds is just a starting point for those willing to toss around cash. When the affluent head out on the town, what's increasingly in demand, and harder and harder to get, is VIP access. It's the thrill that comes from being in the green room with a moody Sean Penn before his film festival screening, or trackside when the motors rev, or backstage when the rockers are warming up and the groupies mill about.

Last night, for example, musicians Bryan Adams, Sarah McLachlan, Jann Arden and Josh Groban were set to headline the One Night Live charity concert at the Air Canada Centre. For as little as $89, fans could take in the show and support the new women-and-babies wing going up at Toronto's Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre.

But event organizers realized they could pull far more out of concert-goers by offering face time with the stars, who were willing to put up with being exhibits at a petting zoo for a worthy cause. So Sunnybrook put together a package that was the first of its kind in Toronto social circles.

For $2,000 a ticket, 240 patrons could step up to enjoy a gourmet meal, complete with paired wines, in the arena's Platinum Lounge, followed by a pre-concert chat with the performers and an escorted stroll to front-row seats for the show. No one fretted about lining up for these tickets - they were hand-delivered to homes, along with a VIP gift and a $1,600 tax receipt.

A slightly scaled-back evening was available for $1,500 at One Night Live, with a reception and private concert from up-and-coming duo RyanDan substituted for the pre-show dinner. Again, the limited number of these premium tickets sold out well before the night's cheaper tickets.

"This event transcends the traditional fundraiser," says Terry O'Sullivan, a Sunnybrook director and lawyer who took a pack of fellow litigators to the concert. "It brings in people who have always supported the hospital, but it also brings in a new group of donors who want a unique entertainment experience."

Exclusivity is also available for a price each summer in Montreal, when the Formula One circus rolls into town. Again, just about anyone can afford a seat in the bleachers: Scalpers offer single-day tickets to the June event for $70.

But to wander pit row at the Canadian Grand Prix and watch last year's winner Lewis Hamilton, racing's emerging superstar, squeeze into his car costs $4,900 for the three-day event, without accommodation. For this price, and proximity, you do get compliment- ary ear plugs.

"It's just a different event down on the track," explains one money manager who pays up to make an annual pilgrimage to a race. He adds: "The F1 crowd does a great job of opening up the pits and the drivers to their corporate sponsors and top clients."

For sports fans, one of the enduring charms of baseball is a month of spring training that remains an essentially open event. Those making the trip to sunny Florida or Arizona in coming weeks can pay to sit near otherwise distant players as they take batting practice, shag flies and maybe even share chewing tobacco.

The thrill of being up close and personal with celebrities does fade with familiarity. Meeting Bill Clinton used to be a thrill. Without putting too fine a point on it, doesn't it now feel like everyone has had their moment with the former U.S. president, who is in Toronto on March 1 for a fundraiser? The allure of access helps explain the ever-increasing corporate interest in these events - patronage that makes individual access even more precious.

The Toronto International Film Festival, for example, helps its corporate sponsors arrange green room visits with Hollywood's finest in advance of screenings. Long-time TIFF backers, such as mutual fund company AGF Management, use these sponsorships to give stockbroker and financial planner clients a chance to rub shoulders with the stars - Melanie Griffith, Antonio Banderas and Jennifer Connelly have graced the fund company's past events.

This is a world where access often can't be purchased from scalpers. Front-row seats at fashion shows, for example, are often awarded by designers to their best clients or celebrities. That makes a seat next to Victoria (Posh Spice) Beckham during Milan's fashion week an Everest-level accomplishment for any social climber.

awillis@globeandmail.com