As chief executives, world leaders and billionaires converge in the Swiss Alps for the first World Economic Forum annual gathering to be held in the spring, the hills are alive with pollen, pricey white sneakers and peep-toe shoes.

For half a century, the global organisation held the event at this popular ski resort in January. Attendees trudged between meetings in chunky snow boots while risking broken bones on streets glazed with ice. One veteran guest dubbed it the “Davos Shuffle”.