Why does Davos matter?

So what if a consensus hasn't been reached? One cannot possibly expect to put 2500+ people in a small Swiss town and make them agree on global issues that decipher our next decade.
An average person has a stake on all issues ranging from  poverty, global economic crisis, Haiti,Middle East,China...the only difference with the Davos man is that he/she tends to have decision making authority to shape these issues. Hence, any itiration will shape the fate of that issue.

The fact is that the Davos agenda isn't built for consensus, but rather to spark discussion. And the discussion doesnt end in Davos, it continues throughout the Forums' regional meetings, online discussions of the Global Agenda Councils, Summer Davos at China etc... In Davos also, there are the endless bilateral meetings, private events, countless cups of coffee that do not hit the headlines and contribute to the making of the agenda.

The dynamics of the Forum are built for networking, collaboration, talking & rethinking issues, raising awareness  and trying to find solutions.

On my way back from Dubai, I read a quotation from Newsweek by Rana Foroohar which sums it all up:
"Davos is a place you go to put a finger in the wind. Last year the wind blew chaos."
This year the wind was calmer with an accent on China, a reflection of our everyday agenda.