the spirit of action

unDavos brings together a diverse spectrum of leaders, innovators, and changemakers from around the world, creating a unique space for collaborative, action-oriented dialogue

What is unDavos

Purpose & Mission

To transform Davos into an open and accessible space where diverse voices connect, meaningful relationships flourish, and bold actions drive real-world impact on global challenges. We foster connections, amplify diverse perspectives, and drive actionable solutions—inside Davos and beyond. By collaborating with partners across sectors, unDavos curates inclusive conversations and facilitates impactful exchanges. Built on the belief that addressing challenges requires broad participation from leaders, innovators, policymakers, entrepreneurs, and change-makers—not one defined solely by connections, money, and privilege.

Get your Ticket

Why Attend

connect, inspire, and drive forward-thinking initiatives

To transform Davos into an open and accessible space where diverse voices connect, meaningful relationships ﬂourish, and bold actions drive real-world impact on global challenges. We foster connections, amplify diverse perspectives, and drive actionable solutions—inside Davos and beyond. By collaborating with partners across sectors, unDavos curates inclusive conversations and facilitates impactful exchanges. Built on the belief that addressing challenges requires broad participation from leaders, innovators, policymakers, entrepreneurs, and change-makers—not one deﬁned solely by connections, money, and privilege.

History of

unDavos

2011

Secret Davos

It is hard to imagine, but in 2011 there were only around 20 side events, excluding the classic private chalet dinners. The WEF strictly controlled access to the Congress Center, but the town itself was completely open to the public. With only a couple of Promenade pop-up venues, the real action took place in the security zone hotels. The trick was working out how to get an invitation… to get in. Moreover the second hard part was finding a place to stay. The town of Davos was totally empty in these days, with locals leaving as the town was gifted to the WEF. The hotels were blocked booked too. Secret number 2? How to find and then share an apartment. A place to stay, and something to do…. Even if this knowledge was secret to just a few people, it was nice to share with friends who really should come, next year…

2013

Becoming unDavos

The first communities who ‘hacked Davos’, outside of the bankers and consulting firms (who were first), were WEF members, specifically people in the Young Global Leader and Technology Pioneer programs. The YGLs at the time were told to be ‘big, bold, and brave’ and this extended to joining WEF on the fringes. First a Facebook was created to coordinate activity, then a Whatsapp group. “WEF YGL, Tech Pionneers & Friends” quickly broke Whatsapp, and a network contact got the Chief Engineer, just before the Facebook takeover, to increase our group size. The group then gained an identity, as Yobie Benjamin, a WEF Tech Pioneer, suggested “unDavos”. What did it mean? The debate was unconferencing Davos (with openness and freedom to put on all kinds of events) or underground Davos (the rebel alliance!). In the end, it did not matter. The name unDavos stuck, and, despite various urgings to change the name, it stays!

2018

Unconferencing Davos

The first unDavos Summit was held in Hotel Europe, with 15 panels and workshops on diverse topics such as the future of cybersecurity, warfare, cities, and next-generation wealth. It was setup in just one week, thanks to the work of enthusiastic volunteers. The summit was designed as an unconference, in keeping with the unDavos spirit. The space itself was gifted to the community by a corporate who had rented the hotel for night time parties, leaving the day completely empty! The event also hosted a parallel event with the WEF Global Shapers called ‘Shape the World’, giving an opportunity for Shapers to share their projects and make global connections.

2019

Innovating Davos

Summit #2 was held in the Rätia Center on the Promenade in a huge vacant space in a shopping center. unDavos community members proposed sessions, and we experimented with all kinds of interactive formats. Some sessions were classic panels, with film crews recording events for posterity. Others were roundtable dialogues, or group sharing (including a fascinating session on ‘the future of relationships;). Highlights included the creator of Amazon Alexa talking about (the absence of) AI ethics, as well as a teen doing a talk on the future of work, from a teen’s perspective.

2023

AI-powered Davos

It started with a tiny idea two months before WEF, a new way of connecting investors, startups and scale-ups for WEF-style “shuttle bus networking”. This rapidly grew into a 25-panel conference, with events taking place across multiple venues and days. The goal was to provide a platform for more voices to be heard, and for micro-communities to form around a wide variety of topics. Passionate about oceans? Or you prefer climate tech? Diversity is one of the benefits of democratrizing Davos! We also worked in partnership to put together events, using decentralization of ownership to select, then coordinate over 100 speakers, whilst bringing together an audience of over 500 participants. Big claim to fame? This was the first conference in Davos designed and run with Generative AI, as we used Chat GPT to develop all the content for our event. Groundbreaking in Jan 2023!

2024

New Davos

With over 40 sessions, the unDavos Summit became one of the top 4 conferences in Davos - the WEF being the biggest (of course!). We introduced mini-conferences, half-day programs with more space and time to build action-oriented communities on health, climate, space, and other topics. We perfected ‘Davos Time’ - 1.5 hour sessions that connect two related issues, fostering an audience eager for serendipitous connections. Livestreaming was on offer too, with an audience of over 2,000 people worldwide, beyond Davos. And, thankfully, we did not neglect the social element either, given our mission to ‘humanize Davos’. To this end we celebrated the Thursday night end of the week with “Davos Burn”, a party that will become, hopefully, more legendary than the McKinsey parties of yesteryear (in a good right way!).

FAQs

Thank you! Your submission has been received!

Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.

Is there an online option to attend the unDavos Summit virtually?

We plan to livestream some sessions and may offer online participation via XZoom.

How can I access the agenda and schedule of events for the summit?

The agenda and schedule of events can be accessed on our website and through the DavosWeek app at www.DavosWeek.com.

What health and safety measures will be in place during the summit?

Health and safety measures will follow local guidelines. Details will be provided closer to the event date.

What are the themes and topics that will be covered at the unDavos Summit?

The summit will cover over 65 panels and 10+ programs on major topics including technology, sustainability, global health, and more. We also have an unconference and Ignite Talks.

What is the difference between unDavos Summit and the World Economic Forum in Davos?

unDavos is not affiliated with the World Economic Forum (WEF), but many WEF members attend. It offers a unique platform for discussion outside the official WEF context.

How can I submit a proposal to speak at the unDavos Summit?

Interested speakers can fill out the speaker inquiry form on our website to submit a proposal.

How can I volunteer at the unDavos Summit?

We welcome volunteers! Please fill in the volunteer form on our website to apply.

How can I become a sponsor or partner for the unDavos Summit?

For sponsorship or partnership inquiries, please contact us directly for more information on opportunities and benefits.

What is the cancellation policy for registration?

There is no fee for registration, so no cancellation policy is needed.

What accommodations and travel arrangements are recommended for attendees?

Attendees are responsible for their own accommodations, but assistance may be available upon request.

What is the cost of attending the unDavos Summit, and are there any discounts available?

There is no fee to attend the unDavos Summit.

No Item Found

Venue

Mountain Plaza Hotel

Promenade 63, 7270 Davos, Switzerland