Although it is hard for the vast majority to stop thinking of it that way, the Mobile World Congress (MWC) does not only exhibit mobile phones. For years, its organizers have been working to broaden the image of the main exhibition held in Barcelona, as already reflected in attendance figures, both this year's and last year's, with more than half of the congress attendees working for other sectors. "It's much more than mobiles, it's digital transformation in different industries," summarizes GSMA CEO Mats Granryd, who, despite his efforts, every time he comes to the Catalan capital, people always talk to him about "Mobile," never just "MWC" as the organizers wish.
Artificial intelligence, cloud computing, 5G, smart mobility, connected industry, fintech, sports, and entertainment will be some of the main topics that can be seen exhibited in the stands and heard in the corridors of the Gran Via exhibition center, which will not be exempt from the measures required by the drought, minimizing tap consumption and turning off the ornamental fountains at the entrance. More than 95,000 attendees are expected at this new edition of the congress, above the 88,500 of a year ago, but still far from pre-pandemic figures, when the headline was always about participation records year after year, exceeding 100,000 congress attendees since 2016.
The gradual return of Asian congress attendees after COVID will drive this growth, with the participation for the first time of exhibitors such as China Telecom and the Japanese KDDI. China Mobile will also be present, and Huawei will repeat for another year with the stand that will occupy the most space. With the Chinese economy slowing down, the exhibition states that they are not yet noticing it. "The opposite is happening. This is where they find growth and look for new opportunities," Granryd emphasized during the presentation of the congress, held this Wednesday at the old Estrella Damm factory. A trend also detected by the other major exhibition that kicks off the year in Barcelona, the Integrated Systems Europe (ISE), which will see Chinese congress attendees grow the most this year.
More than 2,400 exhibitors will participate in MWC 2024, which will take place from Monday, February 26 to Thursday, February 29. The long list will include multinationals such as Amazon, Airbus, Google, Ericsson, Hewlett Packard, Honor, Qualcomm, Meta, Microsoft, Samsung, STC, T-Systems, and ZTE. The America's Cup will also be present, with a stand from the host team, Emirates Team New Zealand, who will show what it feels like for its members to sail in flying boats.
The exhibition of the latest technological innovations from multiple sectors will be accompanied by a program of talks with some 1,100 speakers. In line with GSMA's objective of gradually diluting the "Mobile" label, 60% of the speakers will come from other sectors. Among them will be Microsoft Vice President, Brad Smith; President and CEO of Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE), Antonio Neri; President and CEO of Dell Technologies, Michael Dell; Secretary General of Global Child Forum, Katarina Mellström; CEO and founder of Google DeepMind, Demis Hassabis; CEO of Oxford Quantum Circuits, Dr. Ilana Wisby; CEO of The B-Team, Halla Tomasdottir, and CEO and founder of Take Back the Media, Derrick Ashong. Executives from telecommunications companies such as Telefónica, Orange, Deutsche Telekom, China Mobile, Norway's Telenor Group, and Australia's Telstra will also be present. Achieving parity among attendees is still a long way off, but this year female speakers will represent 40% of the total.
Unlike other years, GSMA has not communicated in the MWC 2024 presentation the expected economic impact on the city nor the temporary jobs that will be created. The only clue Granryd has given is that they expect it to be higher than last year, when it stood at 350 million euros and 7,400 jobs, considering that they expect more attendees. Also notable was the absence this Wednesday of the most visible face of Mobile, John Hoffman, who could not travel to Barcelona for personal reasons. For the first time since the event arrived in Barcelona in 2006, 18 years ago, Hoffman has not participated in the traditional press conference, where there have been years when he even took off his shirt to promote an initiative.
Ten years of 4YFN
The MWC often remains out of reach for Barcelona residents, who only detect its celebration by the appearance of suited congress attendees with their respective accreditation anywhere in the city. More accessible is its little brother, the 4 Years From Now (4YFN), the fair within the MWC dedicated to startups and which many local entrepreneurs have attended. This year it is celebrating, reaching its first decade, having brought together more than 4,200 exhibitors, 9,200 founders, and 5,200 investors. They will once again occupy pavilion 8 of the L'Hospitalet de Llobregat fairgrounds, after traditionally having been located in Montjuïc.