Story highlights Mitt Romney's hosting the The Experts and Enthusiasts, or E2, retreat this week in Park City, Utah

Ben Sasse and Paul Ryan are among those attending

(CNN) One year ago the question hovering over Park City, Utah, was which presidential candidate could capture the hearts of Mitt Romney's friends.

Less than a week later, Donald Trump said he was running for president and made them his enemy. And he beat them.

Now, with Trump as the GOP nominee, those same Republican fundraisers, business titans and longtime friends of Romney are back to huddle far from Trump Tower.

Attendees caution that Romney's annual summit -- The Experts and Enthusiasts, or E2, retreat -- is not an exclusive conclave for the #NeverTrump movement. Yet it is the closest thing to a safe space for conservatives who agree that Trump is not a Republican in the mold of their 2012 Republican nominee, who remains revered by associates.

Romney, who has criticized Trump at every turn, will brief his allies in a highly-anticipated, even if brief, set of remarks Thursday evening.

Read More