The World Financial Discussion board’s annual assembly, generally known as Davos, welcomes greater than 3,000 international leaders from enterprise, politics and civil society each January within the namesake Swiss metropolis. They collect to handle urgent points comparable to local weather change and financial and geopolitical challenges. Davos, which begins Monday and runs by Friday, was began in 1971 by the German economist Klaus Schwab, who initially named it the European Administration Symposium.
Severin Podolak, the top of occasion administration and operations for the World Financial Discussion board since 2021, helps design the occasion, handle it and guarantee its general success. Earlier than taking over this position, Mr. Podolak held the same place for the Swiss Re Group, a reinsurance company based in Zurich. He has greater than 20 years of expertise in occasions and hospitality.
“I’m in command of the nitty-gritty particulars of the assembly and the one who makes certain that the know-how is working, that the rooms are heat sufficient and everyone seems to be nicely fed,” he mentioned. The timing of the periods, lodging for attendees, and transportation to and from Davos additionally fall beneath Mr. Podolak’s purview.
He was drawn to the place, he mentioned, as a result of he has a ardour for “orchestrating impactful occasions that drive international change.”
“The discussion board’s mission to enhance the state of the world by multi-stakeholder collaboration resonates deeply with my skilled values,” Mr. Podolak mentioned.
Davos, the discussion board’s largest assembly, transpires in three venues: the Congress Centre; Kurpark Village, a virtually 65,000-square-foot short-term wood chalet that debuted in 2024; and the Davos Ice Stadium, the place hockey is performed. Collectively, they’re often called the Secured Zone and are inside a five-minute stroll from each other.
Mr. Podolak mentioned the assembly encompassed greater than 500 periods over 5 days, from 8:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Periods embrace panels on international points comparable to sustainability, synthetic intelligence and the state of democracy worldwide, and invitation-only small-group and problem-solving discussions.
“Each session, whether or not it’s a breakfast, dinner or an tackle to a big group, has a function,” he mentioned. “Nothing we arrange is for pure networking solely, though that finally ends up occurring.” He famous that organizations and people attending the assembly deliberate the after-parties and different social occasions, not the World Financial Discussion board.
Planning the gathering is a yearlong endeavor for an in-house occasions staff of 15. “As quickly as one Davos is over, we begin planning the subsequent one and meet weekly up till two months earlier than after we begin assembly daily, generally a number of instances each day,” he mentioned.
The next interview was carried out by video and has been edited and condensed.
Are you able to elaborate additional on what your staff does for Davos?
The principle accountability of the occasions staff is to develop the general occasion idea and coordinate the assorted contributors, together with each inner and exterior contractors. We plan the occasion, negotiate contracts with suppliers, guarantee finances adherence and handle relationships with varied stakeholders.
Our staff is accountable for your entire infrastructure and work drive for the occasion, contracting lodging and offering complete participant and employees logistics, together with transportation. We additionally create the meals and beverage idea, handle freight and materials transport, and deal with session logistics. This implies making certain that each session room is supplied and arrange in response to the necessities of the subsequent session. This additionally contains managing technological facets comparable to audio and visible setups.
After the occasion, it’s our job to make sure that the related suggestions is collected and findings are integrated into subsequent 12 months’s occasion idea.
What standards do you utilize to vary how Davos is organized every year?
The attendee expertise, in fact, is essential. We’ve employees on the bottom who collect suggestions from attendees on the spot and make modifications for the next 12 months accordingly. In the previous couple of years, individuals have instructed us they wished locations in our venues to have casual gatherings between periods. In response, this 12 months, we’ve lounges with tables of various sizes and couches and food and drinks stations the place folks can meet.
How do you guarantee safety throughout a number of occasions and areas?
There are round 5,000 safety folks on website throughout Davos, together with the Swiss navy, the police and workers of personal safety firms. Some officers are in uniform whereas others usually are not, however safety is seen, and there are a number of checkpoints all through.
How do you design the agenda to supply a balanced time allocation?
We attempt to ensure that every session hits a subject of relevance and has stability and variety. The periods are roughly 45 minutes to an hour lengthy and embrace a mixture of folks from completely different nations, genders and industries.
How do you make sure that occasions begin and finish on schedule?
Being late isn’t an possibility as a result of we livestream greater than 50 p.c of the periods. We begin them on time even when the room isn’t crammed or persons are nonetheless strolling in. Typically, they overrun, however the moderators deal with this, and we’ve not less than 45 minutes between periods to scrub the room and arrange for the subsequent session.
The place do attendees keep, and what are the preparations for transporting them from their motels to occasions?
We’ve contracts with greater than 45 motels in Davos and the neighboring metropolis of Klosters. Most e book lodging with us after they register. We’ve 4 shuttle traces connecting the assorted motels with the venues. As well as, all attendees have entry to free public transportation to and from the venues.
How do you cope with any medical points that may come up?
We’ve an infirmary on the Congress Centre with docs on website all day for something that will occur.
You will have mentioned that sustainability is a precedence when organizing the occasion. Are you able to share extra particulars?
Sustainability is on the core of the group, and we’ve many initiatives to be as ecologically accountable as potential. Our heating is offered solely by native wooden pellets. We don’t use oil or gasoline. We use solely LED lighting, and nearly all of our transportation fleet is electrical automobiles.
With respect to meals, we use A.I. know-how to find out how a lot is uneaten and what could be salvaged. We donate no matter we are able to save to an area charity, 4Reasons, which runs a pop-up restaurant throughout Davos that’s open to anybody. There isn’t any price to dine, however they do request a donation.
What retains you awake at night time throughout Davos? What do you are concerned about most?
In Davos, the times are lengthy, and the workload could be heavy. At night time, I’m often so exhausted that I sleep like a stone. Davos is the results of a 12 months of preparation with a really competent staff, and I’m assured that we’ve management over what we are able to handle.
Nonetheless, in a fancy occasion with so many individuals and shifting elements, it isn’t potential to foretell every thing. Due to this fact, my efforts are targeted on how we are able to greatest cope with unpredictable conditions. Finally, my important considerations are concerning the staff — conserving them wholesome and their work balanced in the course of the occasion is of the utmost significance.
Are you able to talk about the timing of Davos, which begins on the day of the U.S. presidential inauguration?
We all know that the inauguration implies that there could also be a smaller political footprint from the U.S. on the assembly. This 12 months, we don’t know what’s going to occur as a result of authorities officers have up till the date earlier than the occasion to register. Nonetheless, a powerful contingent of U.S. enterprise leaders and media continues to be attending.
