Davos: World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2027
Date and Venue
📅 18–22 January 2027
📍 Davos – Davos Congress Centre, Switzerland
👥 Expected number of participants: around 3,000 attendees
🏷️ Main focus: Public-private collaboration
Event Overview
The Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum is one of the world’s leading gatherings dedicated to global economic, political, and societal issues. Each year, the event brings together leaders from business, government, international organizations, civil society, academia, media, and the arts in Davos.
As the flagship event of the World Economic Forum, the meeting reflects the “Spirit of Davos,” centered on dialogue, multistakeholder cooperation, and the search for collective solutions to global challenges.
Objectives of the 2027 Annual Meeting
The 2027 edition aims to:
- Encourage cooperation between the public and private sectors;
- Foster discussions on major geopolitical, economic, technological, and environmental challenges;
- Define shared priorities for more coordinated global governance;
- Promote concrete initiatives related to innovation, sustainability, and economic development.
A Global Platform for Dialogue and Networking
The WEF Annual Meeting is distinguished by a format combining:
- Strategic foresight and high-level discussion sessions;
- Debates on public policy and economic transformation;
- High-level meetings between international decision-makers;
- Networking opportunities and informal exchanges within the unique alpine setting of Davos.
The event takes place at the modern Davos Congress Centre, surrounded by the Swiss Alps.
Organizer
Founded in 1971 as a non-profit foundation, the World Economic Forum was shaped by a transformative vision: businesses should exist not only to create economic value, but also to serve society and the planet.
Since then, the Forum has become a globally respected platform for cooperation, bringing together leaders from business, government, international organizations, civil society, and academia to help shape progress on the defining issues of our time.
By fostering dialogue that helped ease tensions between Greece and Turkey in 1988, supporting South Africa’s peaceful transition through meetings between Nelson Mandela and F. W. de Klerk, and facilitating collaboration between governments and industries in the transition to a green economy, the Forum has acted as a catalyst for diplomacy, collaboration, and trust.
It has also played an important role in global health and development, notably by supporting the creation of the GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance, which has helped vaccinate more than one billion children, and by advancing the Global Health Initiative, which has mobilized more than 170 companies and improved the health of millions of workers and communities.
Through flagship initiatives such as the Reskilling Revolution, which aims to prepare one billion people for the future of work, and the EDISON Alliance, which seeks to expand digital inclusion to one billion people, the Forum continues to help turn ideas into action.
Today, the Forum’s communities and partnerships work year-round, combining foresight, research, and collaboration to address challenges ranging from economic stability and digital trust to climate resilience.
Klaus Schwab founded the World Economic Forum in 1971, convinced that sustainable progress required cooperation between businesses, governments, and civil society. For more than fifty years, he championed multistakeholder collaboration as a way to address global, regional, and industry-specific challenges.
Under his leadership, the Forum evolved from a European management symposium into a global institution with offices in Geneva, New York, San Francisco, Beijing, and Tokyo, and launched initiatives such as the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship, the Forum of Young Global Leaders, and the Global Shapers Community.
His academic work introduced concepts such as stakeholder capitalism, the Fourth Industrial Revolution, and global corporate citizenship.
Professor Schwab retired from his roles at the Forum in 2025. His founding vision — that leaders should work together across sectors for the common good — continues to guide the Forum’s mission.
