Business Gatherings Make a Comeback

The high and mighty are planning to get up close and personal again in 2022, though Omicron is making the timing tricky. The World Economic Forum’s invitation-only annual meeting of CEOS, government leaders and high-end thinkers, originally scheduled to return to Davos, Switzerland in January after virtual attendance in 2021, has now been pushed to mid-summer for safety’s sake. This year’s agenda, according to the organizers: “accelerating stakeholder capitalism, harnessing the technologies of the Fourth Industrial Revolution and ensuring a more inclusive future of work.”

Also expected back in Omaha, Nebraska on April 30 (barring COVID complications), after meeting virtually last year: Berkshire Hathaway’s annual confab and investor extravaganza, hosted in person by Warren Buffett. While Buffett, 91, has said he has no plans to retire, eyes will be on Greg Abel, 59, the CEO of Berkshire Hathaway Energy and Buffett’s named replacement—someday. The event typically attracts tens of thousands of shareholders, eager to hear Buffett and vice chairman Charlie Munger, 97, answer questions on everything from the economy to the health of Bh-owned companies such as GEICO, Dairy Queen and Fruit of the Loom. —H.G.