unDavos Playbook

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The unDavos 2025 Playbook

Preparing for unDavos: Tips and Tricks

Handy Tips / Must-Have Intel #DavosWeek 2024

NOT FOR PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION

Prepared by Mark Turrell

Whatsapp / Signal +4916096297622

Telegram @markturrell

⁠

projectneuland@gmail.com⁠

⁠

unDavos Telegram groups

unDavos 2024 - to be invited, send a DM

https://t.me/markturrell⁠

- main group, general info, tips, links, invites to events, questions, etc - community led, curated by a long-time Davos veterans to make sure everyone is nice, friendly and helpful

unDavos Beds & Rides - to be invited, send a DM

https://t.me/markturrell⁠

- for accommodation and ride sharing - posting available spots, asking for spots, then coordinating rides to and from Zurich, etc.

There are 25+ different unDavos Groups we use - and all will be available on the unDavos app (coming soon). These groups are based on:

Topic - such as AI, women in tech, agriculture, etc

Region - London, Paris, West Coast…

Davos Week - special focus for Jan, such as Media, PR, speakers, etc

Community - sub-communities within unDavos, such as YGLs, Shapers, etc

Event - for other conferences, such as MWC

Telegram good practice — it is STRONGLY advised to mute the app and the groups during Davos, and to look in when you need to. The traffic in the main groups will get VERY busy! And then tail off dramatically once the event is over.

Any questions on unDavos - best to DM

https://t.me/markturrell⁠

or @yobiebenjamin

🚏Getting to Davos & Moving Around

🗺 unDavos 2024 Map

⁠

⁠

✈️ Airport - fly into Zurich (1.5-2 hour drive or 2.5-3 hours by train)

You can fly to Geneva but the train is 6 hours to Davos

Travel to Davos From Zurich:

🚂 Train - best option - takes 2:50 hrs approx, 2 stops (Zurich HBB then Landquart), buy tickets online a few days before to save a bunch -

https://www.sbb.ch/en/travelcards-and-tickets/tickets-for-switzerland/supersaver-tickets.html⁠

⁠

The supersaver ticket must be purchased online, before day of travel, and you may need to print your ticket

Limo service -

info@top-alliance.com⁠

+ other options available

Car

there are parking lots at Davos Platz which are not too expensive and are open 24 hours. But traffic into Davos can be a nightmare - fastest to Klosters is 25 mins… but it can be a 4 hour drive with snow (in 2023 the roads were closed to all traffic for a few hours, and then more time for cars without snow chains - also the drive time then is a lot slower!).

Coop car park in Davos Platz -

https://maps.app.goo.gl/kc8YEEbBYE4DjSsm6⁠

⁠

If you are based in Klosters - either try to get a WEF organized shuttle bus (drivers are sometimes friendly - but the WEF is now more strict to check for official WEF badges - and often do not allow hotel badges either!). You can also take the train into Davos Dorf (first stop in town) or Platz. The train ride is about 30 mins.

🚌 Buses

Within Davos the public buses are usually free if you got a card from your apartment or hotel. Also the WEF shuttles are usually friendly enough to pick up anyone in town (saves on traffic!).

Uber

now works in Davos - very handy for cars, but they are not always totally reliable and can cheat you for a fare by pretending that you did not turn up! They may also charge surge pricing.

In 2023 there were over 200 Uber cars in town and the service was extremely good mostly

However some Ubers struggle to get up icy hills (a few crashed!) so you might need to walk at night part of the way.

Also Ubers might refuse to take you far out of Davos at night.

Taxis

are expensive! Think 40 CHF to go 8 mins (around 10 CHF per km) - and 130 CHF+ for Klosters. It is best to find out in the unDavos Rides group if folk want to share (post a message when you are leaving, and maybe someone is going the same way at the same time).

Hotel Badges & WEF Badges

Hotel badges are NOT essential for #DavosWeek - there are many more events on the Promenade and other venues, day and night time!

There are over 100 venues for side events, and 500+ events during the week outside of WEF.

The vast majority do NOT require a hotel badge as they are not in a secure hotel or in the secure ‘red zone’.

Hotel Badges historically are focused on WEF community members (e.g. Tech Pioneers, YGLs, WEF partners, etc) who are doing events hosted by WEF partners in the secure hotels.

Other non-WEF communities rarely need to go to the secure hotels as their topics and events are on the Promenade!

WEF Badges are only given out by the WEF - invite only, costing many ‘000s CHF - and covers the Congress Center during the day (it closes in the evening).

WEF also produces Affiliate Badges for their partners and strategic partners who are hosting events in the WEF Ice Village (next to the Congress Center). These are limited to 1,100 and can ONLY be given via a WEF partner.

Hotel Badges exist as originally WEF sponsors wanted to host their own receptions and night caps, so reluctantly the WEF ‘allowed’ a select number of hotels to use the same security system as the WEF… the ‘Hotel Badge’.

Each year the rules for hotel badges change! Check in the unDavos telegram community the latest for the current year.

🚨🚨 Hotel Badge Update Dec 2023 🚨🚨

A “Hotel Badge” is NOT needed to go to 95% of the hotels and other venues in Davos

The Hotel Badge is ONLY needed in 2024 for the Belvedere, Alpengold, and Hilton Hotels (plus secure area directly around the Congress Center) —> the Seehof is no longer a secure hotel

The Hotel Badge covers all the hotels for all days (e.g. a badge for Fri covers Mon onwards in all hotels)

The WEF is NOT involved in the Hotel Badge process at all (they stopped from 2023)

A Hotel Badge is NOT needed for most people attending the side events in Davos - it is mostly for WEF members who are not attending the Annual Meeting or people attending very specific invitation-only events at the above-mentioned secure hotel

A Hotel Badge is though ‘good to have’ if you have high level meetings with WEF delegates as they tend to ask for meetings in the Belvdere because it is close to the Congress Center, plus ‘hard to get into’

The vast majority of event organisers in secure hotels WILL NOT ORGANIZE A BADGE FOR YOU!! WSJ, PWC, etc… will NOT make you a badge. There are VERY FEW organisers are prepared to put the effort in to help non-WEF delegates go to these hotels, and in fact are paying for the privilege of having a higher (paying) crowd.

The POLICE of Davos use this process to do a security check, based on people’s passport info

You CANNOT pay the police or the hotel for your badge - IMPOSSIBLE

SO in almost all cases, the Organzier will ask you to pay the fees associated with a badge directly to them, and then they pass on the data plus the fee to the hotel and police.

ALL names need to be filed by the END OF DEC 2023!!! There is some small scope after that time, but the Police and hotels are desperately trying to put a hard stop on the date!

Organisers need to collect 2 pieces of data: the EXACT name on passport, and date of birth (no passport scan required this year, thankfully). You should expect to have your badge cancelled and no refund if YOU make a mistake on your data (take some personal responsibility, and do it right the first time!)

Cost of Badges. The badge cost you will pay depends on a few things: the underlying badge cost to the police, the cost passed on by the hotel; the extra charges made by the hotel to the organizer, the organizer’s event cost and business model. The police cost is only 103 CHF. However hotels often have a 100-150 CHF min charge per event guest (even if they do not turn up), and doing events is very expensive in terms of human resource. So a badge is NOT 103 CHF… more like 500 - 1000 CHF, depending on the organizer.

Very Limited Supply - the rules on issuing badges is MUCH MORE STRICT! It is based on the event capacity, so a 20-person event cannot write 200 badges (which was possible in the past). The hotels have had ‘serious conversations’ with past organisers to ensure that events are genuine. It is accepted that there can be a 50% drop out rate, so more badges are accepted. However, given this and the fact that the Seehof is no longer a secure hotel, the conclusion overall is that… THERE ARE NOT AS MANY HOTEL BADGES AS IN PREVIOUS YEARS.

Capacity will fill fast. I am coordinating with one organizer to have tables at the Swedish Brunch on Friday (

https://www.swedishlunch.com/brunch⁠

) for an unDavos Summit end of week gathering ((special unDavos offer is

https://buy.stripe.com/9AQ7vF45sbWo6xa28y⁠

)) Capacity… not more than 30 for the summit participants. It is a brunch networking event, not an excuse And the deadline of end Dec applies too.

Do not panic if you do not get a badge - there are over 50 other venues at least (and find out more about the side events at

DavosWeek.com⁠

)

The conclusion?

A hotel badge is absolutely not needed for Davos!! It hasn’t really been needed since 2019, as there are more (and better) events and venues outside the badge system.

If it is the week before Davos, and you do not have confirmation of a badge, you are unlikely to get one. Do not try to pester people to get them. Assume they are all gone, unless an organizer really wants you to join them.

This info only matters to maybe half the unDavos community - the rest have done without badges perfectly happily 💛. And for the rest, new year, new rules!

First thing to understand is there are two levels of security in Davos, the RED zone and this area you can ONLY get access to if you have some form of official WEF accreditation, of which there are many, ranging from free as a WEF guest to over $30,000 for a annual meeting delegate.

Unless you have this type of badge, you will NOT get access to the congress centre or the road past it.

The second level is the HOTEL badge, this is a lower security level badge that allows holders to gain access to the 4 secure hotels, the being the Belvedere, Alpine, Hilton and the Ameron (normally the Seehof is also included but not in 2024)

The hotel badges are now administered by the Swiss Police, but the WEF still have input and the power of veto, these badges have a cost of about $150.00 and are available to staff / crew and hotel guests as well as anyone else who has a formal need to gain access and to guests of specific events held in them.

Event organisers in each location can submit a guest list for people who are invited, some may chose to cover the badge cost, others will ask guests to pay, which os done when you get you badge.

This year we understand that one hotel badge will give you access to all 4 all week, be warned, this is NOT the same each year, so 2025 may have different rules.

At this point I would like to add that very few of you will actually need or benefit from having a hotel badge, there are many events (probably more) not in the secure hotels within the town, even if you secure a hotel badge, you are unlikely to gain access to any of the events without an invite.

Over the last few years there has been a clamp down on how many badges are allocated to each event, this is reputidly 150% of the formal allowance for the location, ie a small reception in the Belvedere may have a official capacity limit (these are legal limits imposed by the city authorities) of 100, they will therefore be allowed to submit the badge guest list of up to 150, however many of these event organisers want WEF accredited people so will limit there hotel badge allocation to only a few or for just special guests.

You have to appreciate that these hotel events can cost many $10’s of thousands, some even $1m+ and they want a curated guest list to get value for their $’s

A word of warning about the “walk of shame” most of these events have security / guest list admins and attempting to gatecrash, tailgate or the classic “I’m with him/her” will only leave you embarrassed and having to walk past all the others in the queue who now see you as being turned away.

There is actually a 3rd level of security in that some hotels and locations may not have badge checking but they do have security checks and x-ray machines, be warned that these places often have long lines, outside whilst you wait to get in, at -5c + this can get VERY cold .

What to Wear

It is cold! Bring thermal underwear / long-johns, gloves, ear warmers. And a heavy winter coat.

It’s bright! Bring sunglasses. Extra bright in the snow!

Shoes

The Davos pros tend to wear a single pair of snow boots that are comfortable enough to wear all day (and look ok).

Otherwise take two sets of shoes - boots for outside, and then, in a plastic bag, indoor conference shoes / heels. You will end up putting on and taking off your boots / shoes at least 3 times a day - if you don’t, then be prepared for your nice shoes to get eaten up by road salt.

Consider buying clip-on cramp-ons to stay upright on the ice! - you can buy them in shoe shops, best to buy before you get to Davos itself

Change of Clothes

Davos has business events, and glamorous events. Ideally you should be able to change your outfit (if you can / want). The best situation is to stay in Davos itself to get changed during the day. If not, then you might ask a friend if you can change your outfit at their place.

How to Use the Internet

Internet - get a pay-as-you-go SIM card IDEALLY at the airport and NOT in Davos - Swisscom, Orange, etc - it is around 20 CHF unlimited the week…. CH is NOT in the EU so they do not have cheap roaming agreements for EU citizens.

In 2023 Swisscom had a shop in Davos (but it might be a Davos venue instead in 2024). In any case it is still best to organize things at the airport or train station.

eSims - a better option!

I (Mark) have been using Airolo for eSims on my iPhone for a couple of years. The prices are very reasonable and it works worldwide with all kinds of packages. I get my Swiss eSim set up before I go to Switzerland, and then activate it once I am at the airport or train station. I tend to go for more data, even if it is for a longer period… as all apps chew through data.

I have a referral code too - you get money off as well!

Hey, have you tried an eSIM? Get US$3 off your first eSIM data pack from Airalo. Use code MARK6955 when you sign up or apply it at checkout.

https://ref.airalo.com/tCBb⁠

⁠

Wifi Hotspot

As a general tip, it is BEST to get your own SIM, even if your apartment has wifi, or you want to use free hotspots on the promenade.

You can buy a Wifi hotspot too (most need a physical sim). I use

Netgear Nighthawk M1⁠

as my apt hotspot - faster bandwidth, handles more users, costs around $400.

In terms of security… It only costs $120 to buy a wifi spoof router… So do you really want to trust random hotspots???

Secrets

Hotels will lease out room cheap / free on thursday / friday as people fly out from the rooms.

Top Davos Tips

Be open to opportunity - a random conversation can change your life

Prepare your topic hooks - the 4-to-5 key words that define what you do and what you're looking for

Don't be star struck - it's just not cool

Killer heels are essential - and no one will mind if you take them off to dance later

Silly hats are ok - this is the only place you can wear your souvenirs from Moscow and look normal

Don't ignore spouses - often they feel left out but are usually just as interesting, or even more interesting, than their partners

Stop and look around - Davos is an amazingly beautiful place so look up from the iPhone!

Help out strangers - could be directions, a ride in your Greener Davos limo - it's a karma thing

Be human after 9pm - there is a time for networking and that pretty much stops when the music starts

Take a day off afterwards - Davos is an intense experience in many ways, so chill, maybe take an extra day to ski or do nothing

Networking Tips

Don’t pitch to everyone — Davos brings together constituents from many areas. It’s not a tech Event. Assume that the majority of people won’t have a clue what you’re taking about

Listen and change your angle — listening is always good as it shows interest and gives you hooks to adapt your pitch, such as varying your use case

No one has come to hear about your product — yup. You might though persuade people that you and your service might fit. Just remember to be interested in them and their thing too.

There is always someone more successful than you in the room — it’s great to be confident… but there is always a bigger fish at Davos

No one is impressed by Technospeak — ok, maybe if they use it too. Seriously? “A multi-signature multi-layered bahblahblah?” Explain what you do as though you are speaking to your mother.

Be open to helping others — being cool at Davos means giving and sharing value. Maybe you meet an NGO and realize they should speak to a family office you just met. Be cool and connect. Karma will sort you out.

Be open to ideas and learning — we get it: you’re the smartest person in the room. But how much do you know about neuroscience? Have you ever implemented pre-natal care for 100,000 mothers? Want to know the story about why there are 17 SDGs and not 18? It’s best to come to Davos with an open mind and a child-like spirit so you are ready to learn.

Have a good follow up plan — it’s too expensive to waste good high level leads. You will meet 200 great people in 5 days… sure you can make a great return with 50 good leads… just think what you can do if you if you convert 30.

There are no buyers in town — you will meet few end purchasers of your tech — but the CEO or chairman can obviously help champion and find the right person.

Don’t behave like a jerk, ever, even if you think no one is watching — people talk, people remember, and if they like you they will help. And if they don’t …. well, they wouldn’t be singing your praises. And this is not just about business, it applies especially when the lights go down and the drinks start. Don’t be a jerk. And if you’re friend is a jerk, stop them.

Tips for Organizing Apartments (once you are confirmed)

Set up a telegram (or whatsapp) Group with all people in your apartment

configure it as a supergroup (allows newcomers to see the history)

Content to include

address of place

contact details of landlord / organizer for when problems happen

how to get the keys

special conditions - e.g. ‘there is a dog'

Things for everyone to share in advance with the group

arrival and departure times (you might be able to share a ride or sit next to one another in the train)

bio / links to who you are (don’t be a stranger)

photo - so people know who you are

When you are there

explicitly agree how to handle keys! (who has them, if one is hidden away… then where and what is needed to put the key back to late comers can get back)

how to work out bathroom routine (as most places are shared)

who is in charge of the house - best to make sure that any issues get handled by one person

make sure you avoid damages! and if there are damages you will need to be honest with the landlord\

most places do not take security deposits… so be warned you might be asked to contribute after you’ve left!

avoid drama (obviously)

make sure you know how to check out the place - and leave it as nicely as you can as you might want to go back again

have fun and make friends

After unDavos

After unDavos: Navigating the Transition Back

As you step out of the unDavos experience, you might find yourself navigating a mix of emotions. It's common to feel a sense of post-unDavos blues. Why? Because unDavos isn't just an event; it's a transformative experience. Within its duration, we foster a unique environment where possibilities seem limitless, the community bond is tangible, and openness and growth are the norms.

Decompressions: Bridging unDavos and Everyday Life

The transition back to the "default world" – your city life, job routine, everyday attire, and interactions with people who might not share the unDavos warmth and openness – can be a bit of a journey. This is where our decompression sessions come into play! Think of these as mini unDavos gatherings, where you can reconnect, share experiences, and sprinkle some of that unDavos magic into your daily life.

Invite others from the community on Decompression Meetups:

Meetup Details:

Location & Time: [Provide details about where and when the meetups will occur]

Agenda: Relive the highlights of unDavos, share stories, discuss how to apply the insights gained, and enjoy the company of fellow unDavos enthusiasts.

Remember, the spirit of unDavos doesn't end with the undavos week. It continues in these small but powerful gatherings, in the connections you've made, and in the way you carry the experience into your world.

Don't worry, there are plenty more unDavos experiences waiting for you in the future! 💫 Keep the spirit alive until we meet again.

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