Will I suffer withdrawal pangs from not going to Davos this week? It’s the first time in over 10 years that I haven’t headed up the mountain (pace last year, when I trekked to New York) and I’m sure I’ll miss it. What exactly will I miss?
More than great Davos moments (although I’m sure participants will have some of those this year), I’ll miss seeing so many Davos friends. Some of my Davos friends have become real friends over the years, others are friends only for those few days when we assemble for the Forum. But there’s undoubtedly some pain in not getting together with my crowd in Davos — and certainly having the chance to add to my circle of Davos friends.
Two things I won’t miss this year are the Friday evening buffet and the Saturday night soirée. That’s because they aren’t happening. According to the Financial Times, the soirée has been axed because of the more sombre mood of this year’s meeting. That may be, but I think it’s a pity that these purely social events during Davos have been taken off the calendar. It may have been right to trim some of the greater excesses of past years (the Russian mountain of caviar, the high-rollers who flew in supermodels to be their escort on Saturday night, etc), but what’s wrong with having occasions that are purely a chance to chat, drink and eat? In fact, sombre times probably call for more of those.
It would be a pity for Davos if the World Social Forum got a reputation for being more fun.
The World Economic Forum’s new approach to openness can be glimpsed on their usually uncommunicative website. The programme, which used to be reserved in a sanctum sanctorum for participants only, can now be read in part by anyone. I say in part, because us ordinary folk are confined to session titles and brief descriptions. There’s no indication of who is speaking on the subject, which is crucial to understanding how a subject is to be approached.
Still, that’s better than nothing, which is what the Forum used to defiantly serve to visitors to its website.