If 2027 is your first Annual Meeting, the scale and rhythm of the week can be disorienting. Davos in January is a small mountain town that briefly becomes the centre of the global conversation. Knowing how it actually works makes the difference between a productive week and an exhausting one.

The official programme is only half the story

The World Economic Forum runs an extensive official programme inside and around the Congress Centre — sessions, panels, and addresses across government, business, and civil society. Access to that programme is credentialed and runs to a published schedule. But for many attendees, the official sessions are the backdrop rather than the main event.

The Promenade is where Davos happens

The real centre of gravity is the Promenade, the main street, where companies and organisations take over shopfronts and hotels to create "houses" — branded spaces hosting their own talks, briefings, and receptions. Walking the Promenade is how you take the temperature of the year's themes, and many of the most valuable conversations happen in these spaces and the side events around them rather than in the official halls.

Expect long days and dense schedules

Davos days start early and end late. Breakfast roundtables, daytime sessions, afternoon meetings, and evening dinners stack up quickly, and the town's compact size means you are often moving between commitments on foot in the cold. Two practical consequences follow: protect time to recover, and stay somewhere that minimises wasted transit. Where you sleep shapes how much of the day you actually keep — which is why accommodation choice matters so much.

Networking is the point

More than any single session, the Annual Meeting is about who you meet and host. The delegates who get the most from the week treat it deliberately — a clear short-list of people to see, a base where they can host, and logistics handled so attention goes to conversations rather than coordination. If you are hosting, a private chalet or well-placed apartment becomes your operating base for the week.

Plan the practicalities early

The themes change every year; the practicalities do not. Secure accommodation far in advance, arrange transfers from Zurich Airport before you fly, and decide early which events and houses are worth your limited time. Get those right and the week opens up.

When you are ready to plan, contact the iDavos team — we help delegates turn a chaotic week into a productive one, from where you stay to how you move and who you meet.