It might be the only conference in the world where rapper and music producer Will.i.am waxing lyrical about wearable technology creates a diary clash with Tony Blair debating whether religion is a pretext for conflict.

Welcome to the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum, four days in the Swiss mountain resort of Davos-Klosters, where ministers, chief executives, central bankers and academics convene for a whirl of cocktail parties, brow-rumpling geopolitical debates and behind-the-scenes meet-and-greets.

This year, Davos boasts more than 40 heads of state as well as 2,500 other business and society leaders seeking to address topics of economic growth, social inclusion and the future of the internet.

Bank of England Governor Mark Carney will press the flesh with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, George Osborne and Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang – while Ana Botin, the Banco Santander boss, will rub shoulders with Lloyd Blankfein, of Goldman Sachs, Sheryl Sandberg, chief operating officer of Facebook, and Microsoft supremo Satya Nadella.