The World Financial Discussion board’s annual assembly, generally known as Davos, welcomes greater than 3,000 world 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 up this position, Mr. Podolak held an identical 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 accountable for the nitty-gritty particulars of the assembly and the one who makes positive that the know-how is working, that the rooms are heat sufficient and everyone seems to be effectively 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 world 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 non permanent wood chalet that debuted in 2024; and the Davos Ice Stadium, the place hockey is performed. Collectively, they’re generally known as 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 embody panels on world 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 deal with to a big group, has a objective,” he mentioned. “Nothing we set up 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 crew of 15. “As quickly as one Davos is over, we begin planning the following one and meet weekly up till two months earlier than once we begin assembly day-after-day, typically a number of instances every day,” he mentioned.
The next interview was performed by video and has been edited and condensed.
Are you able to elaborate additional on what your crew does for Davos?
The primary accountability of the occasions crew is to develop the general occasion idea and coordinate the varied contributors, together with each inner and exterior contractors. We plan the occasion, negotiate contracts with suppliers, guarantee funds adherence and handle relationships with varied stakeholders.
Our crew is answerable for your entire infrastructure and work pressure 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 guaranteeing that each session room is supplied and arrange in keeping with the necessities of the following session. This additionally contains managing technological elements 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 yr’s occasion idea.
What standards do you utilize to alter how Davos is organized annually?
The attendee expertise, after all, is essential. Now we have employees on the bottom who collect suggestions from attendees on the spot and make modifications for the next yr accordingly. In the previous few years, members have informed us they wished locations in our venues to have casual gatherings between periods. In response, this yr, we have now lounges with tables of various sizes and couches and foods and drinks stations the place folks can meet.
How do you guarantee safety throughout a number of occasions and places?
There are round 5,000 safety folks on web site throughout Davos, together with the Swiss army, the police and staff of personal safety firms. Some officers are in uniform whereas others will not be, 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 embody 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 just isn’t an choice 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 individuals are nonetheless strolling in. Typically, they overrun, however the moderators deal with this, and we have now a minimum of 45 minutes between periods to wash the room and arrange for the following session.
The place do attendees keep, and what are the preparations for transporting them from their accommodations to occasions?
Now we have contracts with greater than 45 accommodations in Davos and the neighboring metropolis of Klosters. Most ebook lodging with us once they register. Now we have 4 shuttle traces connecting the varied accommodations with the venues. As well as, all attendees have entry to free public transportation to and from the venues.
How do you take care of any medical points that may come up?
Now we have an infirmary on the Congress Centre with docs on web site all day for something which will occur.
You’ve got 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 have now many initiatives to be as ecologically accountable as doable. Our heating is offered solely by native wooden pellets. We don’t use oil or fuel. 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 may be salvaged. We donate no matter we will save to an area charity, 4Reasons, which runs a pop-up restaurant throughout Davos that’s open to anybody. There is no such thing as a 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 may be heavy. At night time, I’m often so exhausted that I sleep like a stone. Davos is the results of a yr of preparation with a really competent crew, and I’m assured that we have now management over what we will handle.
Nonetheless, in a posh occasion with so many members and shifting elements, it isn’t doable to foretell every little thing. Due to this fact, my efforts are centered on how we will finest take care of unpredictable conditions. Finally, my predominant issues are concerning the crew — holding them wholesome and their work balanced in the course of the occasion is of the utmost significance.
Are you able to focus on the timing of Davos, which begins on the day of the U.S. presidential inauguration?
We all know that the inauguration signifies that there could also be a smaller political footprint from the U.S. on the assembly. This yr, 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 remains to be attending.