Amidst economic uncertainty and a rapidly evolving geopolitical landscape, over 1,600 leaders from business, government, civil society, and international organizations convened at the World Economic Forum's 15th Annual Meeting of the New Champions 2024 in Dalian, China. What stories lie behind the scenes of the event? We spoke with Severin Podolak, Head of Event Management and Operations, to find out.

SFC: What innovations and differences do you see in this year's forum compared to previous ones?

The last time we were here was five years ago. That's quite a long time. In between, we all know we went through a period of COVID restrictions, and the world afterward looked different. We have different aspects when it comes to innovation. For example, more on the operational and logistics sides is how we created the venue space. Although we still have components that look similar to last year or to 2019, overall the concept is different. Also, when it comes to transportation, we are using hydrogen buses and mainly electric vehicles. These are bigger innovations, especially on the sustainability side. But then, we also have quite some new innovations on the program side. The Hubs, which is actually a format that we created for the meetings in China, for the meetings of the Annual Meeting of the New Champions. This is a very specific format in a small environment, very interactive with the speakers. So that's something that was created specifically for this meeting.

SFC: Can you share a memorable experience from preparing for this year's forum?

I think overall, what is always very memorable is the collaboration. It's a bit of a different collaboration that we have when we host events in other countries. Because we do have an office in Beijing, we integrate our office in Beijing heavily into the organization. But of course, the collaboration with NDRC and also with the Dalian Committee is very close. And collaboration always relies on people. It's about the human connection, it's about communication. For me, these are the most memorable moments. And then of course, finally, after a year of preparation, coming to China and seeing what you have done, this is basically the reward that we get for the event.

SFC: What do you enjoy the most about working in such a diverse and dynamic group given that team members come from all around the world?

I think intercultural collaboration is the most interesting one. What might be very normal for me is maybe something super special for other people. It can create misunderstandings as well. But, if you achieve something together by convincing the other person that this is the right thing to do, that is actually the most rewarding task.

SFC: As the forum is coming to an end, is there anything else you would like to share with us?

It's true. The event itself is very short. Three days pass very quickly. But after the Annual Meeting of the New Champions 2024, tomorrow we start working on the Annual Meeting of the New Champions 2025. And it is a very fascinating kind of work, because we learn every time we are doing something, and such an event with so many staff involved, the committee involved, the World Economic Forum heavily involved, NDRC involved, our Beijing office involved, that takes a lot of time to prepare. I'm already looking forward to having meetings next time with the Tianjin committee to organize the next event next year in Tianjin.

策劃:于曉娜

監制:施詩

制作:蔡于恬

新媒體統籌:丁青云 曾婷芳 賴禧 黃達迅

海外運營監制: 黃燕淑

海外運營內容統籌: 黃子豪

海外運營編輯:莊歡 吳婉婕 龍李華 張偉韜

出品:南方財經全媒體集團