The annual assembly of the World Financial Discussion board, generally known as Davos, welcomes greater than 3,000 world leaders from enterprise, politics and civil society every January to the Swiss metropolis of the identical title. They arrive collectively to deal with urgent points equivalent to local weather change and financial and geopolitical challenges. Davos, which begins on Monday and runs by Friday, was launched in 1971. by the German economist Klaus Schwab, who initially referred to as it the European Administration Symposium.
Severin PodolakHead of Occasion Administration and Operations for the 2021 World Financial Discussion board, serving to to design the occasion, handle it and guarantee its total success. Previous to assuming this position, Mr. Podolak held the same place for Swiss Re Group, a reinsurance company headquartered in Zurich. Has greater than 20 years of expertise in occasion planning and hospitality.
“I am in command of the smallest particulars of the assembly and the one who makes positive the expertise works, the rooms are heat sufficient and everyone seems to be nicely fed,” he stated. Session scheduling, attendee lodging and transportation to and from Davos additionally fall beneath Mr. Podolak’s remit.
The place appealed to him, he stated, 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 runs deep in my skilled values,” stated Mr. Podolak.
Davos, the discussion board’s largest assembly, takes place in three places: Convention Center; Kurpark Villagean almost 65,000-square-foot short-term log cabin debuting in 2024; and the ice stadium in Davos, the place hockey is performed. Collectively they’re often called a protected space and are 5 minutes’ stroll from one another.
Mr. Podolak stated the assembly spanned greater than 500 periods over 5 days, from 8:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Periods embody panels on international points equivalent to sustainability, synthetic intelligence and the state of democracy worldwide, in addition to small group and invitation-only problem-solving discussions.
“Each session, whether or not it is breakfast, dinner or addressing a big group, has a objective,” he stated. “Nothing we arrange is only for pure networking, though that finally ends up taking place.” He famous that organizations and people attending the assembly deliberate the afterparties and different social occasions, not the World Financial Discussion board .
Planning the reunion is a year-round endeavor for an in-house occasions workforce of 15 folks. “As quickly as one Davos is over, we begin planning the following one and meet each week till two months in the past once we began assembly day by day, generally a number of occasions a day,” he stated.
The next interview was performed by way of video and has been edited and shortened.
Are you able to elaborate on what your workforce is doing for Davos?
The principle accountability of the occasions workforce is to develop the general idea of the occasion and coordinate the assorted collaborators, together with inside and exterior contractors. We plan the occasion, negotiate contracts with suppliers, guarantee finances compliance and handle relationships with varied stakeholders.
Our workforce is chargeable for all infrastructure and manpower for the occasion, lodging contracts and offering total participant and workers logistics, together with transportation. We additionally create the meals and beverage idea, handle the transportation of freight and supplies, and handle the logistics of the periods. This implies making certain that every session room is supplied and arrange in accordance with the necessities of the following session. This additionally contains managing technological points equivalent to audio and visible settings.
After the occasion, it’s our job to make sure that related suggestions is collected and the findings integrated into the following 12 months’s occasion idea.
What standards do you employ to vary the best way Davos is organized every year?
The expertise of the attendees is in fact essential. We have now on-site workers gathering suggestions from on-site attendees and making adjustments accordingly for subsequent 12 months. Over the previous few years, contributors have informed us they need areas in our amenities for casual gatherings between periods. In response this 12 months now we have lounges with tables of various sizes and sofas and food and drinks areas the place folks can meet.
How do you make sure the safety of a number of occasions and places?
Round 5,000 safety guards are on website throughout Davos, together with the Swiss army, police and personal safety firm staff. Some officers are in uniform whereas others are usually not, however safety is seen and there are a number of checkpoints all through.
How do you construction the agenda to make sure a balanced distribution of time?
We attempt to make it possible for every session touches on a related matter and has stability and selection. Periods final round 45 minutes to an hour and embody a mixture of folks from completely different nations, genders and industries.
How do you make sure that occasions begin and end on schedule?
Delay isn’t an possibility as a result of we stay stream greater than 50 p.c of the periods. We begin them on time even when the room is not full or persons are nonetheless coming in. Typically they go overboard, however the moderators deal with it and now we have at the very least 45 minutes between periods to scrub the room and put together for the following session.
The place are attendees staying and what are the preparations for transporting them from their inns to occasions?
We have now contracts with greater than 45 inns in Davos and the neighboring city of Klosters. Most guide lodging with us once they register. We have now 4 shuttle strains connecting the assorted inns to the corridor. As well as, all attendees have entry to free public transportation to and from the venues.
How do you cope with any medical points which will come up?
We have now an infirmary on the Conference Middle with medical doctors on website across the clock for something which may occur.
You stated sustainability was a precedence when organizing the occasion. Are you able to share extra particulars?
Sustainability is on the coronary heart of the group and now we have many initiatives to be as environmentally accountable as potential. Our heating is simply on native wooden pellets. We don’t use oil or fuel. We solely use LED lighting and nearly all of our transport fleet is electrical autos.
By way of meals, we use AI expertise to find out how a lot is uneaten and what will be saved. We donate what we will save to an area charity, 4 reasons which runs a pop-up restaurant throughout Davos that’s open to everybody. There is no such thing as a value for dinner, however they do ask for a donation.
What retains you up at night time throughout Davos? What are you most nervous about?
In Davos, the times are lengthy and the workload will be heavy. At night time I’m often so exhausted that I sleep like a rock. Davos is the results of a 12 months of preparation with a really competent workforce and I’m assured that we’re in charge of what we will handle.
Nonetheless, in a posh occasion with so many contributors and transferring elements, it isn’t potential to foretell every little thing. Subsequently, my efforts are targeted on how finest to cope with unpredictable conditions. Finally, my important issues are for the workforce – retaining them wholesome and balanced all through the occasion is of the utmost significance.
Are you able to focus on the timing of Davos, which begins on the day of the US President’s inauguration?
We all know the inauguration means there could also be much less of a US political footprint on the assembly. This 12 months we do not know what is going to occur as a result of civil servants have till the date earlier than the occasion to register. Nonetheless, a robust contingent of American enterprise leaders and media remains to be in attendance.
