World Economic Forum Annual Meeting

What is World Economic Forum Annual Meeting?

The World Economic Forum Annual Meeting, often called Davos, is the yearly flagship gathering of the World Economic Forum (WEF, an independent Swiss not-for-profit foundation). Founded in 1971 by Professor Klaus Schwab, it promotes stakeholder capitalism (the idea firms should serve all stakeholders, not only shareholders). First held in February 1971 as the European Management Forum with some 450 participants from 31 countries, it took its current name in 1987. It gathers about 2500 to 3000 invited leaders from around 120 countries in Davos-Klosters and produces no statistic, reading, rate or score.

When is it released and what happens each release?

It meets once a year, normally Monday to Friday in the second half of January in Davos-Klosters, Switzerland. Dates and theme are set by the WEF for each edition, on CET time (1 hour ahead of UTC), with no fixed release time. Exceptions: the 2021 virtual Davos Agenda amid COVID and the 2022 edition on 22 to 26 May 2022, the first spring physical meeting since COVID. Reports such as the Global Risks Report (a yearly WEF risk study) plus highlights and podcasts appear beforehand, with no revisions and no trading rule.

What moves World Economic Forum Annual Meeting?

Attendance, not data, drives attention, with five participant groups plus a yearly theme shaping debate.

• Political leaders: heads of state, ministers and top officials bringing the government voice.
• Business leaders: CEOs (chief executives) and chairs, including Forum member firms, bringing the private-sector voice.
• Civil society and social entrepreneurs (founders tackling social problems): NGOs (nonprofit advocacy groups), labour, faith and civic voices beyond business and government.
• Academia and experts: scientists, economists and Global Future Councils (WEF expert networks) feeding evidence on AI (artificial intelligence), climate and health.
• Media and culture: accredited (officially approved) journalists and cultural leaders spreading sessions, podcasts and highlights via weforum.org.
• Annual theme: one framing idea per edition, such as Rebuilding Trust in 2024, guiding programme, not a measured input.

The 54th meeting in Davos-Klosters on 15 to 19 January 2024, themed Rebuilding Trust, drew nearly 3000 leaders from 120 countries. They included over 50 heads of state and government plus nearly 300 other political leaders alongside business, expert and civic voices. The lesson is the convening itself, with day 2 focused on geopolitical tensions, reviving growth and the potential of AI. The Global Risks Report 2024, naming misinformation and disinformation (false or misleading content) as the top risk, fed directly into debate.

How is World Economic Forum Annual Meeting calculated?

1. No formula: there is no calculation, so no formula, weights, aggregation (combining parts into a total) or seasonal adjustment (smoothing for seasonal patterns).
2. Edition count: the only counting is edition numbering, where the 2024 meeting was the 54th because 2024 minus 1971 plus 1 equals 54. The same check gives 2020 as the 50th, counting 1971 as edition 1 and including the virtual 2021 edition.

Key point: Davos makes no binding decisions, forecasts or official readings, and it is not a Swiss government statistic but a WEF dialogue platform. The Forum states it should neither act as an advocacy group nor express opinions for members or participants.