World Economy, Local Self-Storage

This week the World Economic Forum is meeting in Davos-Klosters, Switzerland, where the world's foremost thinkers in business, politics, academia, media, technology and manufacturing are discussing the state of the world and how to improve it for future generations. While you may not feel this has a direct impact on you as a self-storage operator or vendor, the overall theme of the foruminnovate or dieis one that applies to every business enterprise.

The World Economic Forum is an independent international organization, the goal of which is to shape global, regional and industry agendas. Its annual event has taken place for more than 40 years, providing a platform for diverse leadership to explore new concepts, inspire solutions and collaborate on risks and opportunities. This year's gathering convenes under the theme, "The Great Transformation: Shaping New Models." The premise is globalization and increasingly sophisticated technology accelerate the rate at which decision-makers must take action on economic, political and societal issues. The question is how to integrate people, systems and technologies to improve the global economy and the human condition.

The week's sessions include a wide array of topics, from capitalism and global energy to social media and the creative workplace. Here's a sampling of presentations:

Whatever role you play in the self-storage industrywhether you're the manager behind the counter, a facility owner, an investor with pieces of several facilities, a regional operations managerthe issues being addressed in Davos relate to your place in the world order. The global economy and the conflagration of technology adaptation affect the way we conduct business, from in-the-trenches staff members to top-level company executives.

Take a moment to peruse the WEF website and watch some of the video footage. Even if economics is not among your strong suits, you'll find a topic to pique your interest. Let me know if you spend some time with this content and what you think of the presentations. Did you find one that seemed particularly relevant to you or your business? What do you think of the overall event theme? Finally, how has your self-storage operation evolved to survive in the modern age?