In June, Dalian buzzed with the convergence of sea breeze and ideas. The 2026 World Economic Forum Annual Meeting of the New Champions (Summer Davos) drew to a close here, bringing together over 1,700 leaders from business, government, academia, and innovation across the globe. Under the theme “Innovating at Scale,” they engaged in a profound dialogue about the next decade.
Labbrand CEO Vladimir Djurovic participated in the meeting for the first time as a “New Champion,” fully immersed in the entire event — from main plenaries to closed-door workshops, from the Premier’s keynote to cross-industry roundtables. He returned with three key observations and one unwavering conviction: Your brand is your power.
A: Day one in Dalian has been incredibly packed. The core discussions are revolving around geopolitical tensions and their economic implications, AI disruptions, and advanced manufacturing in China.
An interesting point of convergence across industries and government dialogue is the urgent need for ecosystem strengthening. We are seeing a strong emphasis on closer collaboration between the private sector and government. Additionally, there is a clear message for mid-sized enterprises: in these uncertain times, they must hold tightly to their core mission and vision.
The day culminated just a few minutes ago with a powerful, inspiring speech by Chinese Prime Minister Li Qiang right behind me on the main stage. He delivered a bold vision for China’s role in navigating these turbulent times, and you can still feel the energy in the room.
A: Yes, a workshop with about 20 “New Champions”, which are mid-sized enterprises scaling between $10 million and $1 billion USD, really stayed with me. We were debating the role of vision during the scaling process.
The discussion was framed around an interesting antagonism: Can you scale while keeping your vision intact? I was surprised by how the question was formulated because many entrepreneurs genuinely fear that taking venture capital or private equity means “selling their soul.”
Ultimately, the conversation aligned with my core belief: a strong vision, mission, and purpose are an enterprise’s greatest strengths during periods of high growth. The consensus among these entrepreneurs was clear: don’t accept capital from investors who aren’t fully aligned with your mission. They spoke about navigating challenges like bamboo, be flexible enough to bend, but stay rooted and don’t break. It was incredibly inspiring for both me and Labbrand.
A: I look at it through the lens of a current global tension: the push toward self-dependence and autarky is currently threatening open systems and collaboration. Businesses are shifting their philosophy from “just-in-time” efficiency to “just-in-case” resilience. While safety is paramount, this shift can stifle progress.
Therefore, “innovation at scale” today requires an intentional effort to maintain open systems, foster diverse ecosystems, and keep ideas fresh. The Chinese Prime Minister’s speech offered positive encouragement for this pursuit in a world driven by fear and disruption. It served as a strong testimony to China’s evolving role as a vital platform for driving this innovation at scale.
A: The World Economic Forum hosts tech pioneers, tech innovators, and New Champions from all over the world, including the US, Africa, and beyond. The expert sessions have showcased powerful examples of China’s advancements in AI and manufacturing, highlighting the highly effective collaboration between economic players and government policy.
Global leaders are observing the stability China offers alongside the rich ecosystems it has built over the last few decades. There are also profound lessons to be learned from the speed, humility, and hard work driving Chinese business.
One striking remark from the Prime Minister stuck with me: an innovation that takes a year to develop outside of China might only take a week in Shenzhen. That perfectly captures the enthusiasm and momentum here. Because Summer Davos focuses on New Champions, the crowd is incredibly diverse across age groups, creating an exceptional platform where young economic disruptors can collaborate directly with established business and government leaders.
A: On a personal level, I believe the global economy urgently needs leaders who will truly “champion” ideas that can change the world.
Being a New Champion means putting your vision front and center. Of course, that vision must be precise, measurable, and aligned with your team and business metrics; but it must ultimately serve to lead and transform. For me and Labbrand, it is a powerful validation to push our vision further and inspire our communities more deeply.
A: Interestingly, brand power naturally emerged as the concept that tied everything together. Even though “branding” wasn’t explicitly on the official session agenda, it kept surfacing as a vital tool. Leaders realized that a brand is what aligns a company’s vision with its investors and partners, providing the storytelling framework needed to deliver a message effectively.
It became easy for me to close the session by stating: “Your brand is your power.” It resonated instantly with the room.
I don’t think brand power is misunderstood; rather, it is under-expressed. It’s an asset waiting to be fully embraced. My role now is to be active within this community and ensure leaders recognize it as a powerful tool they can leverage much more aggressively.
Three days at Summer Davos distilled the collective thinking of global business leaders on the next decade. From geopolitical economic restructuring to AI implementation at scale, from China Opportunity 2.0 to the mission-driven resilience of mid-sized enterprises — every topic served as a reminder: uncertainty is the norm, but direction is a choice.
For Labbrand, the greatest takeaway from this gathering was witnessing firsthand how “brand power” has evolved from a professional jargon into a common language embraced by leaders across industries. It is no longer just a tool for marketing departments — it is the very soul of corporate strategy.
We believe that as more companies dare to be like bamboo — bending without breaking, deeply rooted while reaching higher — the energy of brand will ultimately transcend cycles and become the most certain force in an uncertain era.
Summer Davos may have drawn to a close, but the conversation continues. Labbrand remains committed to walking alongside Chinese enterprises, helping them unleash the boundless possibilities of their brands on the global stage.
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