Swiss police: blast at Davos hotel, no injuries (AP)

Plenty of CEO's decided to skip Davos this year but there's one group that couldn't stay away: protesters. Some 150 pro-Tibet activists demonstrated against the scheduled speech of Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao at the World Economic Forum in Davos on Wednesday morning. The protesters arrived by train, where they demonstrated less than a mile from the railway station, according to Robert Dilenschneider, president of the public relations firm Dilenschneider Group, Inc., who is on the ground in Davos.

Davos has always been maligned for being a playground for elites. The ambrosial London Mayor Boris Johnson described the event this year as ”a constellation of egos involved in orgies of adulation.” Of course, exclusivity can work in your favor when trying to build an intellectual global brand. But could the old-world elitism that Davos thrives on be losing its allure? Accusations of hollow hobnobbing were no big deal a decade ago when the conference ruled the roost and there were few alternatives.

Davos has always been maligned for being a playground for elites. The ambrosial London Mayor Boris Johnson described the event this year as ”a constellation of egos involved in orgies of adulation.” Of course, exclusivity can work in your favor when trying to build an intellectual global brand. But could the old-world elitism that Davos thrives on be losing its allure? Accusations of hollow hobnobbing were no big deal a decade ago when the conference ruled the roost and there were few alternatives.

The Swiss police commander overseeing security for the World Economic Forum in Davos was found dead Tuesday, police said, adding that it appeared to be a suicide.The announcement came as political and business leaders began arriving in the Swiss mountain resort for the start Wednesday of the annual blue-chip meeting."Dr. Markus Reinhardt, commander of the Graubuenden cantonal police... was found dead in his hotel room in the morning," Swiss police said in a statement. "All indications point to a suicide."