Introduction to Global Conversations
Global Conversations designs and delivers custom event experiences and have spent more than a decade embedded in the ecosystem surrounding the World Economic Forum week in Davos. With a lean team of seven, they thoughtfully design and curate a week‑long programme of almost 30 high‑level, signature and invitation‑only events for world leaders. These range from intimate breakfasts and private dinners to the much anticipated Avicii Tribute Concert dedicated to mental health awareness, bringing together over a thousand world leaders across the week.
Building trust through word-of-mouth
The team’s hands-on approach has translated into a reputation that brings people back year after year. “People come to us through word-of-mouth; it’s a trust you just can’t buy.” This trust shows up in moments like a former head of state’s team calling at 3am – days before Davos – enabling the highest possible access on short notice. “This is more common than you think. When world leaders gather more of them show interest and we just have to be ready,” Alexander tells us.
The stakes are high for the business, with a top-tier reputation to uphold, Global Conversations couldn’t afford a technology partner that didn’t match these standards
From Excel to an enterprise platform
As the programme expanded, Global Conversations outgrew its manual approach. All events are by invitation only and closely managed to curate the most relevant audiences. This requires complex layers of access and bespoke registration paths, as well as an innovative approach to onsite management.
“We had to adapt as we reached a point where scaling without the right infrastructure was no longer sustainable. We were looking for a secure, all-around system that could support multiple events, with bespoke sessions. Things change constantly during Davos week, and we needed a platform that could handle that level of complexity in real time.” David Cohn, Chief Business Officer
One early proof point of choosing Cvent was trust: a partner already using Cvent felt instantly reassured when they heard Global Conversations had adopted the same platform. “When we told them [the partner] we were using Cvent, they felt comfortable sharing guest data, which can otherwise be a barrier in high-security environments.” David explained.
It’s nice to have a platform that is secure and we can grow with. We see Cvent as a long-term partnership.
NFC RFID wristbands and high-profile guest management
At Davos, security, privacy, and ease are non‑negotiable. Many guests travel alone, pay significant amounts to attend, and have intense schedules. Global Conversations needed an onsite solution that felt effortless for a former head of state or CEO walking into a venue - but still gave the team precise control in the background. “From what I know, there has never been a platform like ours inside the Secure Hotels. Having Cvent helped elevate not only us as a brand but also improved our operational control and the guest experience,” says Alexander.
Having a single system also helped the team to track registrations against attendance. “Cvent helped us to verify that we have a really high turnout at our events,” David described how this aided in the invite strategy, backing it up with real data: “people we invite actually show up, if we have an event with 80 people we don’t need to be inviting 200”.
“The biggest shift for us was moving from reactive coordination to structured operations. That’s what allowed us to scale the programme without increasing complexity.” David Cohn, Chief Business Officer
We’ve been able to reduce the administrative burden by providing high-level support and a curated guest list in real time, with smooth access through the use of Cvent and RFID chips.
The process has been simplified and personalised by working closely with Cvent and a specialist wristband partner:
- Guests purchase a tiered wristband via a third‑party provider.
- Data flows into Cvent (with integrations in progress to automate this).
- Guests are invited to “onboard” via Cvent - sharing personal details, preferences, and session choices.
- On arrival in Davos, staff verify identity and pair the wristband’s RFID chip with the correct tier and access rights within Cvent.
- Wristbands are tapped in at each event to quickly admit or deny access.
The result is a check‑in experience that high‑profile attendees notice precisely because it’s so smooth:
“Many of our Davos veterans asked us upon check-in, ‘Is that it?’ You have everything in the App and your RFID chip is activated. You just show up to your events. That’s everything you need.” David explained.
NFC RFID gives the team real-time data on guest arrivals and behavior. One small pre-Davos event in Stockholm showed 90% of guests arriving within ten minutes of doors opening –confirming intuitions about guest behaviour and helping fine‑tune future plans.
Curated, purpose-led experiences
At Davos, attendees are spoiled for choice. No-shows and over-invited events are common for many events during the week. Global Conversations has worked tirelessly against this pattern – if you get invited to one of their events, you can be assured it will be high-value and unmissable. “There’s a purpose to the invitation. It’s not just a random networking event”, Alexander explains.
Cvent allowed us to move from managing complexity manually to operating with real structure. That shift has had a direct impact on both our team and the experience we deliver.
Alex adds that “We are thrilled that Cvent is a part of this journey – and that we are a part of Cvent as well.”
A partnership built on people
For Global Conversations, Cvent is not just software – it’s a people‑led partnership that mirrors how they work with their own guests and partners. Months of preparation is executed in only a few days.
We felt really taken care of from the beginning. From our first interaction [Cvent] was the company that stood out the most with attentiveness and follow-up.
Onsite in Davos, the partnership became very literal. Cvent’s onsite team embedded directly into Global Conversations’ operations, setting up the NFC RFID readers and check-in points across multiple lounges. “They were part of the team, solving problems without hesitation. When you are running such complex events, having that extra resource made everybody work better,” David described how challenges could be immediately solved with onsite expertise.
Data, integrity and what’s next?
With their first full Cvent‑powered Davos behind them, Global Conversations saw this year as “just scratching the surface” of what’s possible.
Looking ahead, on the technical side, they’re focused on:
- Deepening integrations with Cvent to make onboarding fully automated.
- Using more of Cvent’s push notifications, email follow‑ups, and partner portal access so sponsors can self‑serve reports.
- Continuing to refine their tiering and vertical strategies, so different guest types - policymakers, investors, AI founders – get curated journeys that still feel personal at scale.
“We’re currently implementing integrations to improve our wristband purchase and onboarding flows, while expanding our use of Cvent’s capabilities to streamline the overall guest journey.” as David talked through the future plans.
Looking ahead, Alexander sums up their philosophy with a simple formula that applies as much to Cvent as to their own team and guests:
“If you have the right people and the right preparation, you’ll have great participation.”
At Davos – and with Cvent – trust is the through‑line connecting all three.
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