Some key takeaways from life in Davos…
Pizza, pizza, pizza
Food is a game of two halves in Davos. You can be eating amazing Michelin-level food prepared by flown-in chefs in fancy surrounds, or you could be eating, well… pizza. There is a lot of pizza in Davos! Shout out this year to the Infosys team for their amazing Indian food, SK for their South Korean delicacies and Pizzeria Padrino for the best pizza in town.
Bobble hats and freebies
The iconic blue bobble hat from Zurich Financial is the coveted freebie each year in Davos. This year as normal you got yours through a hole in the wall, though it had a special 50 Year celebration tag on it. Special prize in 2020 went to PwC for their brilliant sunglasses, rival bobble hats and neon lip balms.. All useful stuff in the snow.
Wot, no seats?
Every year in Davos there is a distinct lack of seats. Of course, there are seats in the conference sessions and the restaurants, but there never seems to be anywhere to sit down and just have 15 minutes for a coffee, to recharge your phone and have a quick chat. If you’re fortunate enough to be a strategic partner you have your own lounge or have friends in the press – thanks CNBC and WSJ – you can get lucky with a little corner quiet corner during the Davos mayhem. But a few more coffee bars, quiet zones and chill-out areas would be a good addition to the Davos scene.
Mountain fashion
It’s always difficult to pack for Davos. On the one hand, you need to be warm and toasty in the snowy mountains (though this year was sunny and bizarrely rather warm), with a great pair of snow shoes so you don’t fall in the ice and look like a turtle. On the other hand, you need smart business casual for those high powered meetings with influencers and important folk. The truth is anything goes really… You will see Louboutins with snow suits, Savile Row’s finest with clumpy moon boots, bling and 70s retro. And this year was no exception – anything goes!
Hello hello hello
Finally, Davos is a super friendly place and everyone is here to talk, chat, and make connections. However, that relaxed nature can have disastrous consequences because you keep seeing people you recognize and you’re just about to shout out “Hello! Great to see you!” when you realize it is Will.i.am. Prince William, or Larry Fink. This year, I nearly shouted out across a crowded room, “Wow, hi, I haven’t seen you in ageeees…” before realizing it was John Kerry, former US Senator, Secretary of State, and Presidential nominee, who would of course have absolutely no idea who I was because he had never met me!
