Davos forum to change town for virus-delayed 2021 edition

Geneva, October 7

The next in-person gathering of the World Economic Forum won’t be in the Swiss town of Davos as usual.

Forum organisers said on Wednesday that the annual gathering in the Alpine snows — which has already been pushed back from the usual January because of the coronavirus — is now planned from May 18-21 in the city of Lucerne and nearby Buergenstock.

“The meeting will take place as long as all conditions are in place to guarantee the health and safety of participants and the host community,” forum managing director Adrian Monck said in a statement.

The meeting will have a theme of “The Great Reset” in the post-COVID-19 era, aiming to help build a “more cohesive and sustainable society,” he wrote.

Forum organisers will also host a virtual meeting called “Davos Dialogues” in the week of January 25 in place of the annual gathering, which draws thousands of business executives, civil society advocates and government leaders in the Swiss town.

The gathering is expected to return to Davos in January 2022. — AP