The rich and the famous

Tomorrow the world's most celebrated talking shop, organized by the World Economic Forum in Davos, closes its doors. Will anything have been achieved? Very little, no doubt. There is nothing wrong with talking, and some of the participants to the Davos meeting will not have many opportunities to meet each other elsewhere. But it is basically one more venue for the rich and famous to bask in the limelight.

Attendance is arbitrary. Anybody who is rich or famous or both is basically welcome. Some go to Davos, some don't. There is no guarantee that those who should be sitting around the table are there.

There are basically three kinds of people in Davos.
+ the politicians, like Tony Blair. They already meet each other at all kinds of summits, at the U.N., on bilateral visits.
+ the CEOs, like Bill Gates. They only want to make money and consider Davos a nice place for networking.
+ the celebrities, like Bono. They shine once more in the limelight, like they do elsewhere.
Perhaps the added value of Davos is that those three kinds of people are meeting. And talking. And schmoozing. Will that solve any problems? Unlikely.

The major beneficiary of the WEF-meeting is the local economy of Davos.