Coming Together To Talk (WEF 2014)

                         (Photo: World Economic Forum)

                          by David Parmer

The World Economic Forum will hold its Annual Meeting 2014 in Davos-Klosters, Switzerland from January 22-25, 2014. Simply know as “Davos,” the meeting has been held annually since 1971. The WEF is supported by a thousand member companies. Membership costs an hefty $50,000 a year. Members wishing to attend private industry events at the conference must be an Industry Associate, which costs $137,000, while simple tickets to the Davos conference come in at $19,000. So who comes to Davos at those prices? Lots of people, it seems.

Each year, more than 2500 leaders in business, politics, academia and media get together to discuss a wide range of global issues. 

The theme for Davos 2014 is “The Reshaping of the World: Consequences for Society, Politics and Business.” According to the WEF website, this year’s program pillars are:

• Achieving Inclusive Growth
• Embracing Disruptive Innovation
• Meeting Society’s New Expectations
• Sustaining a World of 9 Billion

 And how does the WEF see itself? Again, from the WEF website:

 The World Economic Forum Annual Meeting provides an unparalleled platform for leaders to map the complexity and interconnectivity of our changing world at the beginning of the year. The aim is to develop the insights, initiatives and actions necessary to respond to current and emerging challenges. It achieves this by convening global leaders from across business, government, international organizations, academia and civil society in a series of strategic dialogues that map the key transformations reshaping the world.

The event is said to draw  around 2200 participants who attend some 220 sessions. Because the size of the venue and the town itself, Davos is seen as a premier event for networking among the elites. However, not everyone is enamored of Davos. Over the years anti-globalization activists have faulted the meeting for its capitalist bias and contribution toward global destruction of the environment. Others see Davos as merely a talking shop, with few real results coming out of the event and the participants missing the opportunity to make a real difference. Counter-events are staged in various places including a free event in the town itself.

Pro or con, at the end of January, most eyes and much media will turn to Davos for the 43^rd time to watch world leaders in a number of fields as they address the pressing questions facing us in 2014. 

 WEF (Davos 2014) http://www.weforum.org/events/world-economic-forum-annual-meeting-2014