Davos: Safe by Design, Challenging by Reality — Security, Risk, and Decision-Making at the World Economic Forum.

A lot is said about how secure Davos is during the World Economic Forum.

And in many respects, that reputation is deserved.

There is a significant security presence layered throughout the town. Access routes into the valley are controlled. There are checkpoints on approach roads. Inside the town, you’ll see a mix of local police, federal units, specialist teams, and additional resources brought in specifically for the event. Alongside that sits diplomatic security for world leaders, corporate security for senior executives, and venue-level security at hotels, chalets, and meeting spaces.

From the inside, Davos feels secure.

But security does not eliminate risk.

It reshapes it.

And Davos is a good example of how environmental, logistical, and human factors often matter more than the presence of force.

Security Density vs. Risk Reality

When I assess risk, I’ve always done so through a simple lens:

If I were trying to get in, could I?

That doesn’t mean looking to expose vulnerabilities or defeat systems. It means questioning assumptions. In environments like Davos, assumptions build quickly:

• That visible security equals full control

• That checkpoints equal sealed access

• That density equals safety

Most of the time, those assumptions hold.

Sometimes, they don’t.

More importantly, the most common risks in Davos are rarely malicious. They’re operational.

The Real Threat Landscape in Davos

Does Davos feel safe when you’re on the ground?

Yes.

Is it without risk?

No.

The most consistent risks are mundane but consequential:

• Weather – snow, ice, low visibility, sudden changes

• Movement disruption – traffic freezes, diplomatic convoys, road closures

• Timing risk – meetings running long, stacked schedules

• Fatigue – long days, little sleep, constant recalculation

Slipping on ice is far more likely than encountering anything overtly hostile.

Delays are more dangerous to schedules than threats are to safety.

Protestors do appear, and some inevitably slip through the net. In most cases, they’re dealt with quickly and professionally. Serious threats are rare — but rarity should never be confused with impossibility.

When the Plan Stops Working

One year, I arrived into Zurich Airport after completing another European protective assignment. My principal was flying in later that day from the United States via corporate aircraft.

The issue was simple: Davos was effectively snowed in.

Driving up the mountain carried unacceptable risk.

I needed to:

1. Get into Davos

2. Conduct advance work

3. Get back down the mountain

4. Be in position before wheels down

Weather doesn’t negotiate. Time doesn’t wait.

So the plan changed.

I went straight from the airport to Zurich’s main train station and took the two-hour train journey into Davos — thankfully still operational. On arrival at Davos Platz station, I walked straight out. No fanfare. No drama. I’d already arranged a local driver inside the town, ran the advance work, and a few hours later reversed the process.

I was back on the train heading down to Zurich.

My original driver was waiting.

We went straight to the FBO.

I arrived one hour before wheels down.

This isn’t a story about gaps or weaknesses.

It’s a reminder that adaptability matters more than perfect planning.

The Reality of One-Person Details

That same trip highlighted a familiar constraint: single-person protection.

We had contingencies. If Zurich air operations shut down, an alternate airport in another country was in play. A vehicle was positioned there just in case.

But contingency always comes with trade-offs.

That alternate would have meant:

• A long ground movement for the principal

• Me not being present on arrival

• Reduced coverage during transition

That’s one of the realities of one-person details. You don’t always get the luxury of ideal coverage — you choose the least-bad option available at the time.

Accommodation: Another Variable You Don’t Control

Accommodation is another reality that’s often misunderstood.

Davos is not a city built to host the volume it sees during WEF week. Availability is limited, and not everyone is staying in luxury hotels.

You may find yourself in a rented chalet, sharing space with your principal and other members of their team. Different routines. Different schedules. Early starts. Late finishes. Limited privacy. You adapt. It is what it is.

That proximity introduces its own considerations — rest, discretion, movement coordination, and simply staying functional when personal space disappears for days at a time.

This is part of why Davos can be such a challenging location.

Not because it’s unsafe — but because everything is compressed.

People, vehicles, accommodation, meetings, weather, and time all collide in a very small area.

Visibility, Exposure, and Reputation

World leaders move in tightly controlled environments. Exposure is limited by design.

Business leaders don’t enjoy the same insulation.

They move more freely. They walk between venues. They attend multiple engagements each day. Even with protection present, exposure increases — and not all risk is physical.

Sometimes the real risk is reputational.

That lesson was reinforced years ago in Belgium, when Bill Gates was struck in the face with a cream pie by Noel Godin.

Physically insignificant.

Reputationally enduring.

After that incident, I worked on Bill’s protection team. Ahead of a subsequent trip to Brussels, intelligence indicated Godin was planning another attempt. Surveillance and mitigation were put in place. This time, it didn’t happen.

That’s what effective protection does.

It mitigates risk — not just to safety, but to credibility and narrative.

Planning vs. Davos

In Davos, planning is relentless. Routes, timings, alternates, buffers.

And then Davos ignores the plan.

Roads close without warning. Diplomatic movements freeze traffic. Weather overrides logic. Meetings overrun. Schedules collapse.

If part of your role is to get your principal to a meeting on time — good luck.

Sometimes the most honest answer is: we’ll do our best.

Final Thought

Davos is secure.

It’s also unpredictable.

Security there isn’t about force — it’s about judgement.

It’s about understanding that risk doesn’t announce itself, and that the most consequential moments often come from weather, congestion, fatigue, and timing — not intent.

Davos rewards preparation.

But it punishes rigidity.

The professionals who operate well there aren’t the ones with the most detailed plans.

They’re the ones who adapt fastest when the plan stops working.

___

Glen Burton

Founder & Principal

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