SHAPEs and Retreats Last updated: July 2025

7. Book a Meeting Venue(s)

When exploring a venue, be sure to understand its strengths and weaknesses. Ideal venues:

• Allow plenary sessions to bring all participants together and breakouts for smaller groups.
• Enable Shapers to see something unique and memorable in your city.
• Are accessible to Shapers of all abilities (for example, are wheelchair friendly, facilitate easy mobility between session rooms and have visible signage).
• Are in close proximity to hotels, public transit and other key locations (like airports) to ease participant travel and reduce transportation costs and C02 emissions.
• Have sustainability practices in place (for example waste diversion or energy and water conservation) and work with environmentally conscious suppliers and caterers
• Have a safety and security protocol in place.

8. Ensure the Right Furniture and Materials

When selecting a venue, think about how the space can help achieve your event objectives and desired outcomes. For example:

• What kind of furniture will help get participants to connect, collaborate and take action?
• What kind of seating do you need: high stools, moveable chairs or no seating at all?
• Do you need tables? Furniture types will inform your design. We recommend no tables.
• What tools are available for your use? Are there whiteboards and flipcharts?
• Is there a low-consumption screen or projector to share Shapers Videos?
• What kind of ambience is there? Does it have natural light to keep Shapers awake?
• Is there a sound system to set the vibe through music and build momentum for plenaries?
• Does noise from the outside risk affecting the session? Is the environment too hot or cold?
• Will the environment over heat or be too cold?
• Can you set the temperature or avoid air-conditioning to reduce electricity usage?

9. Communicate Accommodation Options

What is the optimal SHAPE or Retreat accommodation? Reserve a group booking for participants at a local hotel and/or residence (staying at a university or hosting Shapers at your homes are easy ways to reduce costs). Accommodation should be in walking distance of the SHAPE venue. If you go the hotel route, ask hotels if they have sustainability and security measures in place such as:

• Energy, waste and water reduction measures.
• Environmentally responsible purchasing decisions (for example green bath amenities, room keys, cleaning products, suppliers, catering services, etc).
• 24-hour on-site security services and/or personnel.
• Clear emergency plans developed and communicated.

10. Plan Ahead for Food and Meals

What is the best catering option? Catering is a nice-to-have not a need-to-have. If your budget is limited, walk participants to a nearby restaurant, canteen or food hall and let participants buy their own meals. If you do select a caterer, ask for well-balanced and sustainable options. Potluck dinners with host Hub members bringing their favorite local meals to a local green space or a common area in one of local shapers residence always proved to be the most valuable bonding experiences. Should you have difficulty with bringing all participants to one place for mealtime, having separate small group dinners at shaper homes or small diners also work. Remember, fancy or expensive options are rarely the most memorable comparing to more intimate and authentic experiences.

Propose seasonal, local and certified products. Consider vegetarian or vegan options to reduce C02 emissions. Request no packaging or single-use plastics (use water fountains with glasses and proper dishes instead of plastic bottles or disposable plates). Monitor the quantity of food ordered to reduce waste and work with a non-profit organization to redistribute unused food.

11. Put in Place a Sustainability Strategy

Your hub should following the following recommendations:

• Ensure meal options provide healthy food, integrating low-impact ingredients and offer vegetarian choices (support food systems that are compatible with the planet's limits).
• Optimize energy consumption and foster sustainable resource use (aim for a zero-waste event, refuse single-use plastics and collective surprise goods to reuse at other events).
• Prioritize circularity in sourcing decisions and sustainability education (tell participants clearly how they can support you to achieve your event's sustainability objectives).
• Minimize the CO2 emissions and the impact on biodiversity of your event (limit the use of transportation, prioritize hybrid or electric travel or ensure venues are in walking distance).
• For CO2 emissions you cannot eliminate, consider offsetting SHAPE emissions (including participant travel) through a local project in your city and continue to iterate/improve. For example at SHAPE APAC in 2018, Bangkok Hub planted 22 trees per participant to offset the 84 tonnes of CO2 produced by the event to achieve a net zero carbon footprint.
• Strengthen engagement with local communities and stakeholders in your city on sustainability (including vendors like hotels, caterers, transport providers and more).
• Ensure SHAPE activities are inclusive of all populations and that they are managed in a way that provides dignity for all. SHAPE events should benefit people and planet.

Ask your Community Manager for a meeting with our partners at The Climate Reality Project for support to create your sustainability strategy.

12. Secure Transportation Partners, if Needed

Consider how participants will travel to your event.

• Arrival: Travelling by train generates up to 10 times fewer carbon emissions than airplane.
• If possible, encourage participants to take the train or alternatively an eco-friendly airline.
• Look for a carrier that uses sustainable aviation biofuel — like United, Qantas, and KLM.
• Onsite, select venues and hotels that are within walking distance. Or use public transit.
• For emissions that cannot be reduced, consider compensating for the SHAPE's associated CO2 emissions including travel (this free website can help track your event's emissions).

13. Put in Place a Health and Safety Plan

Consider the safety of hotels, venues, transportation routes and surrounding areas and how this may change depending on time of day. Remember that medical emergencies can happen, so as hosts have a plan in place to facilitate medical care and make sure all members on delivery team know the exact protocol to follow. Have ready contact details for medical services, hotel security and local police and make sure to include it in all participants materials. Communicate safety precautions to Shapers before arrival. For example, appropriate dress, speech, behaviour or norms in your city/country.

Clearly communicate your health and safety protocol to Global Shapers HQ for approval. Update these measures regularly to adapt to any changes and based on ongoing consultations with authorities and experts, and share them in advance with all participants.

14. Prioritize Accessibility

It is our expectation that all SHAPE events are accessible to Global Shapers with disabilities. Taking care to create an accessible event benefits not only individuals with visible or known disabilities, but also helps to ensure that all participants, including individuals with non-obvious disabilities and/or chronic health conditions, are able to fully engage in all SHAPE activities.

• Include in your communications plan an invitation for participants to contact you about personal accessibility needs (i.e. assistive listening device, captioning, reserved front row seat, large printed materials, advance copy of slides to be projected, wheelchair access, scent-free room, lactation room, gender neutral bathroom, dietary restrictions and other).
• Follow-up on all requests received. If it appears that you are unable to meet a specific need, let the Global Shaper who make the request know and plan ahead accordingly.
• Check event venues in advance for visibility (for those with impaired sight): Does it have clear signage, well-lit meeting spaces and projection screens visible from all seats?
• Consider acoustics (for those with hearing impairment): Does the venue have roving microphones, can unnecessary background noise be limited, is there onsite interpretation?
• Prioritize mobility (for those in a wheelchair or who have other mobility limitations: Is there accessible parking near the venue, proximity to public transportation, ramp and/or elevator access, accessible bathrooms, barrier-free pathways, wide doorways, etc?
• At the event, ensure speakers deliver their presentations with accessibility in mind (i.e. sub materials in advance so they can be forwarded to individuals who may not be able to view screens, verbally describe visual materials, have printed copies available in large font, ensure speakers always use a microphone, activate captions in any videos used, etc.)
• Encourage hourly breaks to ensure members have time to rest and reenergize. Facilitate small breakouts to ensure meaningful participation of introverted Global Shapers.
• Designate a hub member to be responsible for accessibility at the event, as well as help with seating, ensuring captioning, maintaining clear pathways or other needs.
• Clearly indicate allergens and gluten-free, vegan, vegetarian or other options.

15. Promote Your Event Widely

Ensure appropriate branding in your event space. For example, when a photo is taken by a participant what logo is visible? We want your hub logo to be visible, not a company or hotel logo. Appropriate branding must be applied to any material (printed and audio-visual) used or produced during the event. Ask Global Shapers HQ for high resolution logos for printed and promotional materials. All branded materials must be approved by HQ. Use of the World Economic Forum's or Global Shapers Community logo is strictly prohibited for retreats or Hub activities.

18. Establish a Clear Funding and Fundraising Plan

Funding is an important structural element of any event. Set a budget and share it with HQ. Make it as sustainable, responsible and inclusive as possible.

The Forum provides grants to support the development of SHAPEs. Grant funds may only be used for charitable or educational purposes. The Forum will disburse grants in one instalment to be deposited into hub bank accounts. Hubs shall provide receipts and documents detailing the use of funds within 30 days of the conclusion of SHAPE.

Retreats do not get funding from the Global Shapers HQ or World Economic Forum.

If your event requires additional funding, your hub is responsible to find local sponsors. Inform HQ before you contact sponsors or finalize any agreements. Coordinate with the Forum's Business Engagement Team to identify regional constituents who may be able to support you.

• Register Your Hub as a Non-profit Organization So You Can Receive Grant Funds or Sponsorship: To do this, you will need to have governance and financial controls in place and hub members who are willing to commit time to hub administration.
• Clarify the Issue That Your Event Will Explore: Depending on issue area, consider how your event will inspire change. Make a connection to how your event reinforces the mission of the community and meets the needs of a target audience or donor.
• Timeline and Budget Planning: Draft a detailed budget to estimate costs and demonstrate to funders your expectations and commitment to transparency. Develop a plan for allocating resources, including contingency plans for unexpected expenses.
• Search for Grants: Conduct research on corporate and foundation websites to find a potential fit for your funding needs. In some countries, websites are available that provide a search directory for grants. For example, Foundation Centre and Grant Space host databases that allow you to look for available grants by purpose, issue area, amount and timeline. This webinar explains how to begin a grant search.
• Storytelling is Crucial: In order to search for, inspire and maintain the interest of donors, build a narrative around your event to make it relevant and relatable. By encouraging donors to become part of your story, you can create a sense of ownership. Read more about the power of storytelling for a social cause.
• Draft a Strong Proposal: Create a template and adapt it based on a particular funder’s preferences. Watch this tutorial on how to write a proposal and start by looking at grant proposal examples. Ask HQ for an email template to send to sponsors.

Important aspects to keep in mind:

• Your hub cannot pursue commercial interests or at any time try to obtain funding from community partners. Supporters should know that association with your hub does not imply endorsement by the Global Shapers Community or the World Economic Forum.
• When referencing your event in grant proposals, marketing materials or media, practice the following standard. For example you can say that your retreat is an event of your Hub and your Hub is part of the Global Shapers Community, while the Global Shapers Community is an initiative of the World Economic Forum. You cannot say that the event is an event of the Forum.
• Use the following language about the community: Founded by the World Economic Forum, the Global Shapers Community is a network of 10,000 young people under the age of 30 driving dialogue, action and change in 500 city-based hubs in over 150 countries.

17. Ensure You Are Covered by Reliable Insurance

Most venues and hotels will be covered by commercial liability insurance to cover against risks at in-house events. Check with your venue and hotel to see what is covered. In addition, seek legal advice about third-party liability insurance. This differs by country. You may need supplementary insurance to cover claims for compensation from participants for property damage or personal injury (for example, injuries during transport, illness related to catering or accidents due to inadequate safety precautions). Ask an expert to ensure you are protected.

To avoid any unfortunate situations for your Hub members, we strongly recommend you establish a clear policy with regards to liability for injuries and other damages liability. Make sure all participants acknowledged they read and understood/signed a notice on their own responsibility for any injuries and damages and do not expect the Hub to cover related expenses etc.

Process refers to your event's programme and the series of activities that will help achieve your objectives.Remember, you are designing for young people who are diverse in expertise, education, income and race – but are united by their desire to catalyze positive change. Your program should reflect this.

• PARTICIPANTS: Remember, 75% of participants must be from your region and no more than 15% can be Alumni. You may wish to develop a waitlist for additional participants.
• EVENT DURATION: Most SHAPE events begin on Friday evening with a welcome reception and end mid-day on Sunday with a closing plenary. Optional activities are sometimes organized before or after the official programme. For Retreats, you can also plan for a shorter program with a welcome dinner and one full day event.

18. Include Core Sessions in Your Programme

Each event must include the following sessions:

• Orientation Session Led by Global Shapers HQ: This session explores the mission of the community – why we were created and what we stand for. This is a 60-minute session.
• Project Marketplace or Workshop: At each SHAPE or Retreat event, at least one session must showcase and strengthen the latest impact initiatives and projects of hubs in the region.
• Leadership Sessions: One or more sessions must focus on strengthening youth leadership and our values of passion, integrity, service, cooperation and commitment.
• Opening/Closing Plenaries: Plenaries bring Shapers together around a common purpose and shared actions. Plenaries serve to connect the dots and help Shapers reflect on their experience.

19. Learn From Successful Sessions From the Past

You can be daring and design your own sessions (ensure this process is collaborative) and there are also best practices and ideas that you can replicate.

• Learning Journeys: Push participants outside their comfort zones and explore what makes your city unique. Discover innovative responses to local challenges, organizations disrupting the status quo or places of historical or cultural significance.
• Shaper Stories: Listen to the voices of Shapers. Select 3 Shapers from your region who have powerful stories to tell about inspiring impact or leadership in 5-10 minute talks.
• Shaper-led Interviews: Instead of a panel or a keynote speaker, try interviews where leaders share their insights. Create up-close and personal experiences with speakers.
• Knowledge xChange: Create groups of 8-10 Shapers for in-depth conversations on the issues that matter. Whether exploring regional or hub challenges, this intimate setting is designed to inspire participants with new insights and ideas and spark new connections.
• #Shape-a-thon: Consider a hackathon where Shapers work in small groups with local non-profits to identify solutions to their challenges. Create a call for applications. This is a way for hubs to build awareness and credibility with local stakeholders.
• Power of Vulnerability: Create space for Shapers to share their personal leadership challenges. By introducing the notion of vulnerability, you can radically alter how Shapers interact and relate to one another. Real emotions are what people remember!
• Mindfulness Exercises: The world is changing fast and performing at full potential is hard. Create opportunities for participants to focus on their health and wellbeing.
• Immersive Lunch or Dinner Sessions: Introduce Shapers to your city through local cuisine. Have hub members host Shapers at their home or favourite local restaurant for a shared meal. The more personal your activities are, the more memorable it will be.

20. Avoid Keynote Speeches or Panel Discussions

These sessions enable external guests to share insights at the expense of Shapers. At worst, they are un-engaging and self-promotional. If you do decide to include panels or speeches, keep presentations to a maximum of 10 minutes. Don’t include slides and select Shapers as moderators to draw out insights from the audience.

21. Track and Share Your Progress

Create a design document that outlines each session including start and end times, titles, short descriptions, team responsible, speakers and set-up requirements. Here is an example. Update this document after every meeting and share it with the hub (feel free to ask your Community Manager for a template). This document is for internal use only. Create a simplified agenda or programme-at-a-glance for Shapers.

22. Ensure That All Sessions in the Programme Fit Together

Walk through your programme and put yourself in the shoes of participants. Ask yourself:

• When is check-in? How will they get to the venue?
• Do they need to pre-select sessions that run in parallel? What will they need to know to go from one session to the next?
• Is there enough time for transitions and bio breaks?
• Is there individual work or big/small group work?
• Will they work with their hands, hearts or heads?
• Who will guide them throughout the day?
• How will they get back to the hotel?

Going to this level of detail is needed when planning logistics and designing your programme. Share your design document with your Community Manager who can help you identify the small details that matter.

23. Use TopLink to Plan Your Event

• Centralize event registration and useful information in a Meeting Overview and Interest Survey shared in the TopLink page of your event (For SHAPEs only)
• See the list of Shapers and search by country or insight area to find Shapers near you.
• See the list of hubs and search by country.
• Access the list of Social Innovators and YGLs and search by country.
• Explore projects by hub, region and impact area. Send direct messages to project leads..

24. Create a Robust Communication Plan

• Ask HQ to send a save-the-date and official invitations to all regional members.
• Consider the creation of a SHAPE or Retreat event WhatsApp and add your Community Manager.
• Share a Meeting Overview, Useful Information Guide and Programme with participants.
• Promote your event on social media and consider a participant-led campaign.
• Send a welcome message to participants including how to get to the hotel, when and where registration will take place and what participants should bring with them.
• Send nightly messages with programme highlights and key information participants need to know for the next day (like what time the bus will leave in the morning or sessions start).
• Send a thank you message to Shapers as soon as you can. Include a post-event survey and ask participants to give honest feedback.

HQ reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to cancel a SHAPE or Retreat if hosts do not comply with the terms of agreement or do not have the capacity to organize the event. We will send five days written notice to your hub.

Facilitation refers to the delivery of event, including how your hub organizes itself to bring the program to life. Your hub must embody the behaviors you want to see in participants. The way each member of the team focuses, collaborates, listens, responds, engages and speaks will be copied by participants.

25. Ensure That Team Members Are in Sync

24 hours before your event takes place, walk through the programme session by session with all hub members. Ensure every team member knows their responsibilities and visit the venue as a team to bring the event to life. Once the event begins, organize regular circle-ups with team members to revisit the agenda, coordinate set-up, support one another to complete tasks and share highlights for the day. Invite your Community Champion and Community Manager to attend circle-ups.

26. Assign Clear Facilitation Roles

As you start planning your event and not later than 1 month prior to its start, assign the following roles:

• Process Facilitator (event lead): Responsible for coordinating the work of the hub, scheduling circle-ups and maintaining team energy and focus.
• Logistics Lead: Responsible for time-keeping to ensure all activities and sessions run on-time, including the arrival of transportation and catering.
• Registration Lead: Responsible for coordinating registration, including distributing badges and welcome packs, and collecting registration fees if applicable.
• Environment Lead: Responsible for room setup and the overall look and feel of the event, coordinating the team to design and refresh spaces as needed.
• Production Lead: Responsible for creating and sharing knowledge objects and session assignments when needed and capturing participants' ideas to share after.
• Speakers Manager: Responsible for ensuring speakers arrive on time and reminding them of the audience and specific features of the session.
• Session Lead(s): Responsible for ensuring sessions run smoothly, responding to any requests from participants or challenges that may arrise.
• Music: Responsible for selecting and playing music that fits the theme of the event as well as the tone or insights emerging from the work of participants.
• Photography: Responsible for capturing clear, high-resolution digital photographs of participants and work outputs to safe after (often someone external).

27. Maintain a Standard of Excellence for Your Team and Ensure a Positive Hub Experience

Members of the host hub are the secret to hosting a successful event. As a hub aim for the following traits:

• Commitment to Learning and Teaching: There are many moving parts to an event. Take time to help team members understand their role upfront and share what you know with others.
• Initiative and Self-Starting: Hub members must recognize and take advantage of the opportunities to learn, try new things and step up to new roles. See what needs to be done – and just do it!
• Context and Understanding: Team members need to understand the event's objectives to see the big picture and see how their role fits into the work of others and the overall success of the event.
• Flexibility and Service-Orientation: Be comfortable with change. Things won't always go according to plan and this is ok. Stay focused on achieving your objectives and meeting the needs of participants.
• Commitment to Fun: The ability to maintain one's sense of humour in spite of long-hours, short deadlines and high-pressure situations is essential.

28. Prioritize Shapers When Selecting Speakers, Moderators or Facilitators for Sessions

Our community members are remarkable. Ask your Community Manager for a list of remarkable speakers in your region. Keep external guests to a minimum. If you do plan to invite external speakers, request approval from your Community Manager. Ensure guests know their audience: young leaders who expect high-impact, interactive and personal remarks. Make sure they are open to Q/A formats. Shapers often value the questions they get to ask at the end of the session more the remarks themselves – this is the content that relates directly to their interests.

29. Schedule Briefings for Speakers

Schedule a speakers briefing call prior to the event to introduce the session and your objectives. During the event, asks speakers, moderators and facilitators to arrive to the session 30-minutes prior to meet one another and rehearse. You may wish to show them the time signal you will use to let them know when the session should be wrapping up.

30. Promote Sustainability and Accessibility Strategies

When starting the event, include your hub's hard work in your opening remarks especially when it comes to the safety, sustainability and accessibility strategies you have put in place. Your Community Manager can help you to write compelling and compassionate opening remarks that set the tone for your SHAPE event and kick things off on the right foot.

Once your event finishes, be sure to communicate the results with the entire Global Shapers Community. Documenting what went well and the challenges you faced, helps us to improve SHAPEs and Retreats from year to year and provide the right support to future hosts.

31. Send a feedback survey to participants

Send participants a feedback survey to assess what went well and what could be improved. You may want to ask some of the following questions:

• Did you make meaningful connections?
• Did you learn something new about the community?
• Did you learn new leadership skills or values?
• Did you accelerate or strengthen a hub project?
• What was your favourite session or highlight?
• What is one thing that would you have changed?
• Were you satisfied with the hotel, food and venues?

32. Debrief the Experience as a Team

After the event, organize a comprehensive debrief as a hub and with your Community Champion and Community Manager. This is an important moment to thank team members and recognize the work that was put into the event. Ask hub members:

• Were the objectives we set as a team met?
• Was the event insightful, memorable and inspiring?
• What new ideas, projects or initiatives emerged?
• Did the hub work well together as a team?
• What could the team have done better?

33. Share Highlights with HQ

Host hubs must provide HQ a highlights report within 60 days of the conclusion. Draft a summary of the event, including number of participants and program highlights, and send it to your Community Manager with all the official photos and videos.

By sharing this information with us, we can help to promote your hard work in the Global Shapers Community's monthly Newsletter, website and on our social media. We can also help you to promote your efforts with local media or by writing for the Agenda (the Forum's blog).

34. Submit all Receipts and Financial Documents (For SHAPEs Only)

Hubs must provide receipts and documents detailing the use of all funds provided by the Forum and/or The Climate Reality Project within 30 days of the conclusion of SHAPE.

35. Leave a Legacy Locally

Hosting a SHAPE or a Retreat is a unique opportunity to build your brand and demonstrate your hub's impact to city stakeholders.

• Invite your mayor, city officials, potential partners, business leaders or donors to see first-hand the power of young people to affect positive change. Share event highlights with local stakeholders or consider a project that you can continue post-event to give back to your community or contributors to your event. Ensure the SHAPE has a positive legacy in your hub and that all members feel like they have something new to look forward to.
• Complete a local project with participants.

We believe in a world where young people are central to solution-building, policy-making and lasting change. Our community is a saleable solution for organizing and mobilizing the full potential of young people. Thank you for building this movement with us by dedicating your time and energy to hosting a memorable retreat.