 I'm Klaus Schwab, the founder and executive chairman of the World Economic Forum. Let me share with you the five reasons why the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum is different and unique. The first reason. Davos is a meeting, not a conference. It's a true community built on ongoing partnership and membership. It is a gathering of the world's foremost decision makers, each engaged in the spirit of the Forum's mission to improve the state of the world. The second reason. The annual meeting serves a unique purpose to define, at the beginning of the year, the global, regional and industry agendas in a comprehensive, strategic and integrated way. Davos serves as a catalyst for new ideas and initiatives. It is not devoted to one specific issue. Rather, it is a place where the world gathers to connect the dots. The third reason. The annual meeting is not a static meeting. Every session in Davos is part of an ongoing flow of the Forum. Prepared by task forces of the most knowledgeable and most relevant people in the world. Together with our status as an international organization for public-private cooperation, we can ensure maximum impact from the outcomes of the interactions taking place in Davos. The fourth reason. The annual meeting is not built around personalities or celebrities. Every participant is engaged. A distinctive Davos feature is representativity. All major governments are represented by ministerial delegations consisting of key ministers and led usually by the head of state or the head of government. The leaders of all international organizations are present. And most importantly, the business community is comprised of the CEOs of foremost global corporations representing a very substantial part of global GDP. In addition, heads of the leading global universities, the key civil society organizations, the young generation, they are all present. In short, the annual meeting is a true global multi-stakeholder summit. What makes the annual meeting so special is the informal atmosphere. Davos, as a global village, facilitates true and direct interaction. Every participant leaves the meeting not only with a higher degree of contextual intelligence but also emotional intelligence and a renewed understanding of the cultural and individual sensitivities of fellow participants. Davos, the annual meeting, has changed the lives of many people and the strategies of many companies as well as the policies of governments. And the annual meeting, 2016, will be of particular importance given the current global context. Mastering the fourth industrial revolution is now a global imperative. Leaders from all walks of life must prepare for a future of exponentially disruptive change, the very nature of which is poised to transform even our human identity. We will develop for each industry the necessary response strategies, but we should not forget that we have many ongoing challenges on the global agenda. In this respect, our efforts will particularly focus on the environment and the follow-up to the Paris COP 21 meeting. The need to create sustainable growth as well as social inclusion, the need to maintain the internet as a public global good and many others. We may also be in the midst of a crisis of the financial monetary system following a hike in interest rates by the US Federal Reserve, which is likely just before the annual meeting. And finally, the global security situation and humanitarian tragedy unfolding will be a particular focus at the beginning of 2016 with a strong presence of the security-related community. Based on all those issues and with the registrations we have received from our partners and members as well as governments, international organizations, civil society, academia, media and the young generation, we can expect that the annual meeting 2016 will be the most powerful and impactful yet.