The 5-6th of June this year will see the doors of the Swiss Economic Forum in Interlaken thrown open once more, offering an ever-eclectic set of business leaders, politicians and entrepreneurs the opportunity to explore crucial issues and trends that are shaping business today and tomorrow.
This forum will signal the 9th time that some of the world's most distinguished business leaders have congregated in Switzerland to explore and discuss the global business landscape. Considering that the event is characterised by a comprehensive global outlook, it is fitting that this year's theme is "THE BIG SHIFT", and will include 1,350 decision makers from the worlds of business, science, politics and the media, as well as 58-64 speakers from Switzerland and abroad. It is anticipated that between 100 and 125 journalists will be covering the event, vying to cover the multitude of insightful speeches and breakout sessions that will be take place over the two days.
The six sessions will be varied in both format and focus, and will give attendees the opportunity to explore important trends, developments and successes. The diverse focus of the presentations serves to demonstrate that the big shift is multifaceted. Gender roles will be considered in WoMan--mixed management teams are more successful, hosted by BKW, which will explore the reasons that women are underrepresented in management posts in business, and what can be done to remedy this discrepancy. Digital culture for all, hosted by PwC and Swisscom, will scrutinize the role that ubiquitous technology has to play in the future of business, and what opportunities and challenges this shift will present.
The scope and focus of the forum promises to be huge. Attendees will be attempting to make sense of the exponential growth, with a view to strategising on how best to capitalise on new opportunities while mitigating new threats.
In this sense, Switzerland is an ideal host. The country has a comprehensively global focus, while, in many respects, occupying a uniquely distant relationship. From this perspective, the Swiss Economic Forum is granted a privileged position from which to observe the ever-changing economic climate.
When we consider the recumbent ease with which people can now accept incredible facts about the modern world, it becomes clear how ambitious the focus of this year's forum really is. Let's try. According to Brian Solis' Future of Business, over 40% of the companies that were at the...