May date planned for postponed WEF meeting

The Covid-19 pandemic has played havoc with the scheduling of WEF's flagship event over the last two years. Keystone / Gian Ehrenzeller

The World Economic Forum’s (WEF) showcase annual meeting has been rescheduled to May 22-26, to be held at its traditional venue of Davos.

The Covid-19 pandemic has played havoc with the gathering of global executives, political and civil society heads. It was cancelled completely in 2021, while the Omicron variant wave forced a postponement from the meeting’s usual January slot this year.

On Friday, WEF signaled that it should be safe to stage the eventExternal link with thousands of delegates in Switzerland in early summer. This will come on top of a virtual version of the meeting that is taking place this month.

“After all the virtual meetings taking place in the last two years, leaders from politics, business and civil society have to convene finally in person again. We need to establish the atmosphere of trust that is truly needed to accelerate collaborative action and to address the multiple challenges we face,” said WEF founder Klaus Schwab.

The Swiss ski resort town of Davos will also breathe a sigh of relief at the news.

The flagship WEF event contributes tens of millions of francs each year to both Davos and the Swiss economy as a whole. Many hotels and restaurants rely on the annual influx of wealthy participants for a large slice of their income.