Robert De Niro, the Hollywood actor, was due to be a keynote speaker at the annual World Economic Forum (WEF) at Davos in Switzerland this week.
So was Rupert Murdoch, the media tycoon. But neither are likely to be spotted at the exclusive luxury ski resort.
De Niro has decided to stay in tinsel town, according to media reports, while Mr Murdoch has jetted off to London to sort out problems with his US$12.5 billion (Dh45.91bn) shares bid for BSkyB, known as the TV broadcaster Sky.
But even news of their absence failed to dampen the sense of renewed optimism apparent on the first day of this year's bash.
Politicians, bankers, economists and executives gathered at the resort in an effort to solve some of the global economy's most pressing conundrums.
Yesterday's session began with discussions on the emergence of a "new economic reality"; a reality in which China and the other BRIC countries - Brazil, Russia and India - will play a bigger role.
This year's annual event is taking place against a different backdrop to last January's gathering. While the snow, incessant chatter and iPads are still here, other things have changed.
Perhaps most significantly, some of the pessimism and gloom fouling the air last year has lifted. In its place is a sense of cautious optimism about the global outlook.
Even Professor Nouriel Roubini, the New York University economist known in media circles as "Dr Doom", appeared more upbeat.
Famous for predicting the financial crisis at the end of 2008 before it unfolded, Prof Roubini conceded the chances of a double-dip recession had receded.
"The glass is half empty and half full," he said at the opening session. "There are some positives and upside risks and some negatives and downside risks."
Shrugging off renewed fears about slower growth in Britain, Prof Roubini said the risk of advanced economies slipping back into a double-dip recession had decreased, although he was cautious about the euro-zone debt crisis.
"In the euro zone, it's not just sovereign risks but also the risk of further trouble," he said. "Private debts are also high, we have low competitiveness, low economic growth, outright contractions [in some countries].
"So what's happening in the euro zone is one of the biggest risks to the global economy."
In the next few days, the 2,500 delegates will discuss a wide range of topics including the war on corruption and how to close the gender pay gap.
But ultimately their goal will be to hammer out suggested answers to big questions such as how to fix the global financial system and how to create jobs.
"There's a sense of creative optimism about how to solve some of the big challenges," said James Wescoat, a professor at MIT.
Nonetheless, participants are aware of the significant obstacles remaining for the global economic recovery.
The handling by the US of its budget deficit and lingering debt troubles in the euro zone were concerns cited in the first session.
"The gorilla in the room is the US budget deficit," said Martin Sorrell, the chief executive of the UK advertising agency WPP Group. "Unfortunately, it doesn't look like that will get dealt with until after the US general election."
High food and energy prices were also cited as reasons for anxiety, particularly in emerging markets such as China and India that are fighting consumer price inflation.
Prof Roubini said yesterday that soaring commodity prices was a "huge deal" in developing economies that could lead to political instability.
"[This] leads to riots, demonstrations and political instability," he said. "It's something that can topple regimes.
"In many of these emerging markets, two thirds of their consumer price indexes are food, energy and transportation. When these things rise it becomes a really significant social cost."
Concerns over risks to global trade were also raised in the opening session.
"China can longer rely on an export-led model," said Min Zhu, a special adviser to the IMF.
"This crisis gives a big lesson to China. We will see further emerging markets moving to domestic demand."
