Genuine encounters and connections are a key focus of this World Conference. That’s why the programme includes social events – every evening and on Friday afternoon. So many social opportunities – it almost puts the Davos mountain sunset in the shade.
Whether you take part in the evening events is, of course, entirely up to you. In any case, participation, including in the gala night, is included in the full conference ticket.
You can easily sign up for all social events when you register for the conference.
Here is the social programme:
| Monday Evening | Official Opening of the World Conference, including an aperitif reception, under the theme «Welcome to Switzerland, welcome to Davos». At the Conference Centre, 5.30 pm–7.30 pm. Featuring a group playing a quintessentially Swiss mountain instrument, the alphorn, and distinguished Swiss guests. Link to the Wikipedia article on the alphorn: Alphorn – Wikipedia Link to the Alphorn Group (website in German): Blaswerk.ch – Alphorn-Gruppe Davos – Das Alphorn |
| Tuesday Evening | Meet-up Event. Attending the World Conference in person is also a great chance to meet someone new. The Tuesday Meet-up Event offers an organised way to do this, if you’re up for it. When registering for the conference, you can choose one of the conference themes as a conversation starter, or select the ‘all themes’ option if you don’t have a preference. Themed meeting rooms will be available in the conference centre. Just sit down next to someone you don’t know yet – between 7.00 pm and 7.30 pm for half an hour. This might be a challenge in terms of communication, but we’re sure you’ll find a way to make it work. Of course, the conference cannot provide IS interpretation for one-to-one conversations. |
| Wednesday Evening | Theatre Night. Meet the inclusive theatre company of the Lega del Filo d’oro in Italy, one of the three major conference sponsors. The show (entitled “The Apartment Building of Dreams”) is set inside a block of flats and brings to life, one after another, all the dreams of the residents; dreams which, drawing on each person’s skills and interests, reflect the true desires of the actors. Throughout the sequence of scenes, the character of Morpheus also appears, reminding us of the importance of never ceasing to dream, as this allows us to change reality, echoing the well-known quote: ‘If you dream alone, it is only a dream, but if you dream together, reality begins’. The performance begins at 8 pm in the main hall of the conference centre, lasts about an hour and a half, and is performed by eight people with deafblindness and multiple disabilities, eight staff members, and ten to thirteen volunteers from the Lega del Filo d’Oro. |
| Thursday Evening | Swiss Film (& Wood) Night. Tanne, the main sponsor of the conference, will organise a week-long camp for adults with congenital deafblindness prior to the World Conference. The camp will focus on experiences with wood, both in nature and at a woodcarving and wood sculpture school, located in a typical Swiss village. A short film of approximately 15 minutes is being produced about this camp and will be made as accessible as possible. The documentary will premiere during the social event, and the protagonists themselves will be present, offering attendees an opportunity to interact with them. The event will begin with a short introduction and the film premiere at 6:30 pm in the main hall of the conference centre. At around 7:00 pm, the programme will continue with a reception, giving attendees the opportunity to socialise and exchange ideas while enjoying some of the protagonists’ favourite snacks and drinks. |
| Friday Night | Gala Night. Featuring a three-course meal, an awards ceremony, the official conference closing event themed ‘From Davos to the World’ with a special guest, and a diverse line-up of live music, ranging from alphorn performances to a full band: this is an evening you definitely won’t want to miss. Starts at 7pm in the main hall of the conference centre; ends whenever you like, but no later than 2am for everyone. You can look forward to the following artists: Gerd Bingemann (Swiss blind multi-instrumentalist with a hearing impairment; solo piano): The roots of Gerd’s piano playing lie in classical music, boogie-woogie and the blues. Over time, swing, jazz, Latin and, above all, pop ballads have been added, shaping his current repertoire. His instrumental music, largely self-composed and improvised, is suitable for concert performances (including interludes) and as background music, in keeping with Gerd’s motto: on the one hand, attentive listening should be rewarded; on the other, conversations must not be disturbed. Link (website in German): https://www.bingemann.ch/gerd/ Lemonpeel: The Swiss four-piece band Lemonpeel captures the essence of wonderful music. They perform their own compositions as well as covers from the worlds of pop, rock, funk and blues. It is just like with lemon peels: Lemon peels contain a range of vitamins, minerals and fibre that can give your diet a nutritional boost. Link: https://www.lemonpeel.ch/ Blaswerk Alphorn Gruppe Davos Klosters: You’ll already be familiar with this group and their quintessential Alpine musical instrument from the conference opening. Enjoy them once again. The group comes from Davos and the neighbouring town of Klosters. Link (website in German): Blaswerk.ch – Alphorn-Gruppe Davos – Das Alphorn |
| Friday Afternoon: Social Afternoon | The Social Afternoon, starting at 1.30 pm, takes place on Friday afternoon – instead of the usual conference programme. When you register, you will be assigned to a group of 10 participants (along with any personal interpreters/support persons, of course). All groups will have these three tasks:
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