Reimagining Collaboration in XR Lessons from the Global Collaboration Village 2025

Executive summary The Global Collaboration Village was a multi- year initiative of the World Economic Forum, in partnership with Accenture and powered by Microsoft Mesh. From 2022 to 2025 it explored how immersive technologies – such as virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) – could enable more inclusive and effective spaces for global cooperation. Over a three-year period, the Village evolved from a prototype into a functioning platform, hosting 70- plus events and engaging participants in different geographical areas and sectors. It served as a testbed for next-generation digital convening.The Village demonstrated the value of hybrid participation, immersive storytelling and inclusive design. It surfaced critical lessons about technology architecture, user onboarding, virtual presence and co-creation – insights that now inform digital initiatives across the Forum. As institutions adapt to increasingly distributed and digital collaboration, the Village showed how immersive platforms can deepen understanding, build trust and expand access. While the initiative has formally concluded, its findings contribute to a blueprint for inclusive, technology-enabled engagement to drive collaborative impact at global scale.The three-year Global Collaboration Village initiative tested how new technology can drive engagement and cooperation. Global Collaboration Village journey FIGURE 1 The metaverse emerges, Global Collaboration Village soft launch, proof of conceptAnnual Meeting 2022 Highlighting why the Village matters, introducing the Village to stakeholders, demo modeAnnual Meeting 2023 How to get value out of extended reality. Village fully operational – partner pavilions, immersive storytelling, 3D meetings, town hallAnnual Meeting 2024 Significant participant profile at Davos: first metaverse used for full-format Davos programme, featuring partners showcasing leadership and remote attendees engaging with onsite speakersAnnual Meeting 2024 Expanded access, new hybrid XR sessions, first multi-language events and increased global participationAnnual Meeting 2025Global Collaboration Village Milestones Source: World Economic Forum Reimagining Collaboration in XR: Lessons from the Global Collaboration Village 3