Movement Preparation During WEF

What WEF does to travel times

Under normal conditions, the transfer from Zurich to Davos takes approximately two hours. During WEF, that window extends significantly. The entire Swiss road network absorbs a concentrated surge of international travel — private aviation, diplomatic convoys, delegate transport and commercial traffic all compete for the same infrastructure simultaneously.

The multi-level security perimeter established around Davos during the forum adds further time to every approach. Vehicles entering the restricted zone are subject to security checks that vary in intensity depending on the access level required and the movement underway at the time of arrival. In peak periods, this alone can add up to an hour to the total journey time.

For executive movements where a precise arrival time is expected — a session start, a bilateral meeting, a dinner with a fixed seating arrangement — this variability must be absorbed by the planning, not by the passenger. Departure timing is built backwards from the required arrival, with buffers calculated against the specific conditions expected on that day, at that time, on that route.

Aviation pressure on the wider region

Zurich Airport operates at near-maximum capacity during WEF. The concentration of private aviation traffic arriving for the forum is among the highest of any single event in Europe. To manage this, the Canton of Zurich activates additional slots at secondary airfields in the region — including Dübendorf — allowing overflow private aviation traffic to land outside the main airport's congested schedule.

For ground transport partners and concierge teams coordinating arrivals, this means the departure airport cannot be assumed. A principal arriving for WEF may land at Zurich Airport, or may be diverted to Dübendorf or another regional facility depending on slot availability. Ground transport briefings during WEF must account for this variability — vehicle positioning and routing are confirmed against the actual landing point, not the originally planned one.

For FBO-connected arrivals, the coordination structure at secondary airfields differs from Zurich Airport's established FBO facilities. This is handled as part of the movement brief — not discovered on arrival.

Security zones and access inside Davos

Movement inside Davos during the forum is structured around a tiered security perimeter. The highest-security zones accommodate heads of state, presidents and senior government delegations — attendees who include, in the forum's history, the President of the United States, the President of Russia and first ministers from governments across every region of the world. The presence of this calibre of participant makes Davos during WEF one of the most security-intensive ground transport environments in the world.

Vehicle access within Davos is controlled by accreditation level. Not all vehicles can access all zones. Routes that are open in the morning may be closed by the afternoon. A movement that took 12 minutes at 09:00 may take 45 minutes at 14:00 depending on what is underway in the security perimeter at that point.

Our operations team monitors access conditions throughout the forum period. Routing decisions are not made at the start of the day and left unchanged — they are reviewed before each movement and adjusted based on current conditions. The passenger's schedule does not change. The route does.

Vehicle selection for WEF movements

Vehicle assignment during WEF follows the passenger profile and movement type. Three configurations cover the majority of forum movements.

The Mercedes V-Class is the preferred vehicle for group movements — delegations, support teams and multi-passenger transfers between hotels, the Congress Centre and event venues. It provides the interior space to carry a group with luggage and equipment without requiring multiple vehicles for a single movement.

The Mercedes S-Class is the standard vehicle for senior directors, managing partners and executives attending the forum independently. It provides the cabin environment expected for high-level business travel — quiet, spacious and appropriate for working or taking calls during transit.

The Mercedes Maybach is reserved for CEO-level and principal movements where presentation and comfort represent the highest available standard. During WEF, where the concentration of senior business leadership per square kilometre is unlike any other event in the calendar, the Maybach signals appropriate standing without requiring explanation.

Vehicle assignment is confirmed at the point of briefing — before the forum begins, not on the morning of the first movement.

Hourly availability across the forum period

For principals and delegates attending WEF across multiple days, a single airport transfer at arrival and departure is rarely sufficient. The forum schedule generates continuous movement requirements — between accommodation and the Congress Centre, between sessions and bilateral meetings, between Davos and Zurich for private appointments that run alongside the official programme.

An hourly chauffeur arrangement structured across the full forum period provides a dedicated vehicle and driver available throughout the stay — without the friction of arranging each individual movement separately. The chauffeur learns the principal's preferences, the regular routes and the timing patterns that emerge across the first day. By day two, the coordination overhead for the PA or assistant drops to near zero.

For forum participants whose programme extends beyond Davos — a side meeting in Zurich, a dinner in St. Moritz, a departure from a different point than the arrival — the same directly managed structure covers the full movement sequence without handoff to a separate provider.

Preparation starts weeks before the forum

WEF preparation at EGO SWISS begins significantly earlier than the forum itself. Vehicle allocation, chauffeur assignment, routing research and partner briefing structures are confirmed in the weeks before January. By the time the first delegates arrive in Davos, the operational framework for their movements is already in place.

Partners and assistants coordinating WEF movements are encouraged to make contact early — not because last-minute requests cannot be handled, but because early briefing allows the movement structure to be built properly rather than assembled under time pressure. The difference is visible in execution quality throughout the forum period.

For partners managing multi-vehicle or multi-delegation programmes during WEF, centralised coordination through a single EGO SWISS operations contact simplifies the communication structure significantly — one point of contact, one briefing format, one confirmation channel for all movements across the programme.