Article | Davos WEF 2027: What's Changed and What It Means for Your Event

🆕 Update, November 2026: where things stand

We first published this briefing in April 2026, when the Gemeinde Davos announced its new rules for WEF 2027. Here is what has happened since, ten weeks before the Annual Meeting opens on 18 January 2027.

The cap has been applied

In mid-October, the Davos executive (Kleiner Landrat) published the results. 190 building applications were filed, and 146 of them fell under the quota. 21 were refused because they did not meet the requirements, which leaves 125 approved projects, exactly the cap. Projects were assessed with the points system described below, and any remaining ties were settled by drawing lots.

The permit window for 2027 is closed

The 15 August deadline has passed, so no new temporary builds or venue conversions can be added for WEF 2027. If your company is not among the 125, your options now sit outside the permit system: hotels, private chalets and private dinners, all covered further down.

What is still ahead

The next deadline is 30 November 2026 for advertising layouts and food truck applications. Build-up phase 2 starts on 6 January, and the WEF keeps its participant list confidential until around 10 January, which matters if you are timing invitations. The full timeline is in the key dates table below.

Traffic: changes announced for 2028

In August, the municipality announced a partial driving ban during WEF week from 2028, from Monday 5 am to Thursday noon, roughly between Davos Laret and Davos Glaris. Residents, local businesses and deliveries can apply for permits. For 2027, the Rhaetian Railway is already adding capacity. Book guest transfers early this year, and expect a more train-based Davos from 2028.

📋 The new rules at a glance

The Gemeinde Davos introduced its biggest changes to WEF temporary building projects in years: a hard cap on event activations, plus tighter rules on advertising, venue conversions and end-user registration. Here is how WEF 2027 compares with 2026.

Table comparing the WEF 2026 and WEF 2027 rules in Davos

🔢 How the 125-project cap works

A cap per logistics zone

In 2026, 132 projects with medium or large-scale construction were approved, about 10% more than in 2025. The municipality decided that only a cap could stop the growth. For 2027, the 125-project cap covers temporary builds and venue conversions, split across the logistics zones around the Promenade and the Davos Platz congress corridor.

Table of the WEF 2027 project cap by logistics zone in Davos

A further 5% reduction is planned for WEF 2028. Pure advertising projects and projects the WEF itself needs sit outside the quota.

How applications are scored

When a zone gets more applications than slots, projects are ranked instead of approved first come, first served.

Primary criteria: completeness and quality of the application, and the applicant's compliance record, with penalty points for projects fined in previous years.
Secondary criteria: whether the end user is an officially invited WEF participant, and early submission (before 25 July).
Tiebreakers: sustainability and innovation, use of public land, space needed for guest drop-off, and finally a draw.

🏪 Venue conversions, advertising and sponsors

Restaurants and bars rented as event venues

A restaurant, bar or club rented to one or more end users as an event location, for panels, meetings or branded activations, now needs a full building permit and counts against the cap. It is treated exactly like turning an office into a lounge. What triggers the permit is the change of use: a restaurant hosting a private seated dinner for a closed group still needs no permit.

Advertising visible from the street

The old rule exempted interior advertising set back at least 1.5 m from a shop window. It was being used to get around the 10 m² cap on digital advertising per project, so it is gone. Any interior advertising visible from outside now needs a permit. Layouts are due by 30 November 2026, and late submissions are limited to a single 2 m² unlit surface, with the full fee still payable.

One project per company, sponsors included

Each end user now gets one project in total, where it used to be one temporary build or two conversions. Being present in a shared venue counts as your one project. Any company that gets a room and branding inside a permitted venue had to be declared in the original application, so selling sponsorship packages with rooms and branding after filing is a violation.

Media companies

Only independent, WEF-accredited media doing pure media work count as media under the rules. A broadcaster doing journalism qualifies, while a tech company running a branded content studio does not. For media activations, the combined effect is significant: restaurant takeovers need permits, window-facing screens fall under the 10 m² digital cap, and a content studio plus a hospitality venue now counts as two projects, which is one too many.

📅 Key dates for WEF 2027

Table of key dates for WEF 2027 in Davos with their status

🏔️ What stays outside the permit system

Several formats remain outside the permit system entirely, and they are now the main route for anyone without one of the 125 approved projects. You can compare them on our event venues in Davos page.

Hotels and hotel venues

Hotels working in their normal hospitality role, with meeting rooms, conference rooms and restaurants, need no temporary building permit and do not count against the cap. Booking a hotel meeting room, a private dinner in the hotel restaurant or a run of one-to-one meetings in a suite is fine. The exemption holds as long as the room is not rebuilt in a way that raises fire safety issues, such as temporary walls, blocked escape routes or much higher occupancy.

Private chalets and residences

Chalets and apartments used as executive accommodation and private meeting spaces stay outside the system, provided there is no external branding, no structural change and no semi-public event with heavy foot traffic. A leadership team staying in a chalet, hosting private dinners and closed meetings, is using accommodation, not running a construction project.

Private dining in restaurants

Restaurants can still close for private seated meals for closed groups. As long as the restaurant keeps working as a restaurant, with the same interior, meals served and no branded conversion, there is no limit. A programme of private executive dinners is a strong alternative to a branded activation, and a discreet one.

Exceptional chalet in Davos Dorf

A private chalet in one of the quietest residential streets of Davos Dorf, with five bedrooms and a table seating fourteen. A natural base for a leadership team, with room for private dinners and closed meetings.

Luxury ski chalet in Davos Dorf

A ski chalet with direct access to the Parsenn slope, a sauna and a fitness room. It sleeps fourteen and takes up to twenty for a reception or a meeting.

Renovated hotel venue in Davos

A newly renovated hotel venue within walking distance of the Congress Centre, with alpine views and three rooms for up to 150 guests. Suited to meetings, panels and private hospitality.

🤝 What it means for you, and how we can help

If you hold one of the 125 permits, your next job is the advertising layout before 30 November, then build-up logistics for early January. If you don't, the week is still very much open: a hotel venue, a chalet as your base and a series of private dinners can give you a strong presence with no permit at all. Our planning guide for hosting an event in Davos during the WEF covers invitations, security and transfers, and our selection of spaces for WEF in Davos is a good place to start.

We have worked in Davos since WEF 2024, with local owners, accommodation providers and service partners. We source chalets and apartments in Davos Platz and Davos Dorf, find hotel venues for panels and receptions, and build private dining programmes across the best restaurants in town. The rules are published in German by the Gemeinde Davos, and we help international teams read them and pick the right format.

→ Browse our venues in Davos

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📚 Sources

Last updated: November 2026. This briefing summarises the rules published by the Gemeinde Davos. For any specific project, check the latest official documents with the municipality.