Following two young leaders forums in Asia - in Singapore and in Shanghai - in 2002, the BMW Foundation Herbert Quandt for the first time invited young leaders from Asia and Europe to Germany. The conference hotel 'Kloster Irsee' in Upper Bavaria proved to be a suitable location for the programme. In the Baroque cloister surrounded by a park, away from daily business activities and disconnected from the internet, the participants had the chance to focus completely on the debates and personal interactions at the forum.

The cloister itself has a long and chequered history: The origins of the former Benedictine cloister Irsee date back to the late 12th century, when a medieval monastery complex was built. At the end of the 17th century, the original buildings were replaced by the Baroque structures. Irsee had its heyday in the 18th century, cultivating mathematical-scientific education, philosophy, ancient languages, music, and the fine arts. This tradition came to an end in the 19th century due to secularisation, and for more than a century the cloister housed a mental asylum. Its conversion to today's splendid conference hotel took place in 1981.