The long good Friday

Friday in New York has taken the place of Saturday in Davos: the
longest, most packed day in the schedule (this Davos is a day shorter than
usual). One thing that has been surprising, and encouraging, is that
sessions have been very, very full.

Old conference hands will tell you that conferences in New York can get
large numbers of participants, but you end up with empty rooms. Everyone
has other meetings to go to, or hears the Siren call of shopping or
museums. That isn’t proving true for the Forum, which is a testament to the
participants and the programme.

It may also have something to do with the logistics of the Waldorf. I’ve
heard that there are something like 2,800 white badges (full participants)
for this meeting. That’s about 1,000 more than in Davos. But with every
room used for sessions, there are seats for only a little more than 1,000.

The House of Commons in the UK is designed on that sort of principle. If
all 650 MPs show up for a major debate, there isn’t enough seating for all
of them. Some have to stand or crowd the aisles. That’s what creates an
intense atmosphere on key parliamentary occasions.

Friday here in New York has, of course, been about more than full
sessions. Most of the private receptions and dinners were scheduled for
Friday night, which was the only evening on the schedule without some
major, crowd-pulling conflict. I’ve already railed at Lehman’s Elton John
obscenity ($1 million for one night). I did feel sorry for some of my hosts
tonight, however. Having really pushed the boat out in various lavish ways,
there just weren’t enough people to go around for all the parties. So the
reception I went to at the New York Public Library, given by Merrill Lynch,
was very sparsely attended.