World Economic Forum criticized in the Swiss national media. Since the annual meeting in January 2003 in Davos, an "Open Forum Davos", co-organized by the Federation of Swiss Protestant Churches, is held concurrently with the Davos forum, opening up the debate about globalization to the general public. The Open Forum has been held in the local high school every year, featuring top politicians and business leaders. It is open to all members of the public free of charge. The annual meeting of the forum also has been decried as a "mix of pomp and platitude" and criticized for moving away from serious economics
Conference of Montreal international forum in Montreal, to identify and discuss the impact of all these developments on the global economic system. A first conference was organized on June 20–22, 1995. The IEFA now hosts four annual events: the Conference of Montreal, the Toronto Global Forum (founded in 2007), the World Strategic Forum, held in Miami (founded in 2011), as well as the Conference of Paris (founded in 2017). In June 2018, the Conference of Montreal will celebrate its 25th Anniversary edition under the theme ""Embracing Change"," and will reiterate its position among the most important international economic forums, connecting world leaders for