Political, social and business leaders gather at Davos World Economic Forum

MATT Damon, Bono, Marissa Meyer - even Tony Abbott. They're all meeting to make the world a better place. But with tickets at a cool $70k, what's the point of this schmoozefest?

Matt Damon will be honoured for his work with Water.org at the World Economic Forum meeting in Davos. Picture: AFP

WHY have the global who's who of political, business and social leaders including Matt Damon, Sheryl Sandberg, Bono and Tony Abbott gathered at a Swiss ski resort?

Among the 2500 speakers and delegates at this year's annual World Economic Forum (WEF) meeting will be some of the most recognisable people on the planet.

Yahoo's Marissa Mayer, UK Prime Minister David Cameron, Bill Gates, Kofi Annan, IMF boss Christine Lagarde, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are joined by senior executives from companies such as Google, Cisco, Dow Chemical, Pepsi, Walmart and PwC.

And celebrities such as Goldie Hawn, Peter Gabriel and Mary J Blige also get to play.

It's been described as the most elite networking opportunity in the world where you rub shoulders with presidents, prime ministers, CEOs and the U.N. Secretary-General. But it's also been described as, by London mayor Boris Johnson, "a constellation of egos involved in orgies of adulation".

The Davos conference is a get-together for the most important decision makers to set the agenda for the world. With the threat of a eurozone collapse passed, on the docket this year are the issues of Iran, Syria, climate change, unemployment, youth social unrest and the disparity between the rich and the poor, according to WEF founder Klaus Schwab.

This year, the official program has been structured around the theme of 'The Reshaping of the World: Consequences for Society, Politics and Business', focused around inclusive growth, a sustainable global economy, embracing disruptive innovation and meeting society's new expectations.

While expounding on 'Big Ideas' is a valuable experience for the delegates, the real wheeling and dealing is expected to happen over champagne and canapés at the bar.

The 2500 delegates in attendance hail from almost 40 countries, making it a truly global event. But it's not cheap with tickets reportedly at $70,000 according to The New York Times. But there is a gender gap as only 15 per cent of participants are female.

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