MWC is optimistic and expects to achieve an effect similar to the pre-pandemic

Mobile World Congress (MWC) will be more like pre-Covid editions than it is for 2022. GSMA CEO John Hoffman, the mobile industry employer organizing the conference, which will take place in Barcelona between February 27 and March 2, has predicted that be this versionSimilar to those before the pandemic“.

“It is no longer the same as it was in the previous year, but it will be more like it was before the pandemic than it was last year. We’ll fill in again Gran Via,” Hoffmann commented in an interview with EFE, since the event He will again occupy the eight wings Which is owned by Fira de Barcelona in L’Hospitalet de Llobregat.

This show It plans to gather about 80,000 people in its 2023 edition and generate a greater economic impact than 350 million euros in Barcelona And its sphere of influence, the numbers were much higher than those recorded last year but still far from those before the pandemic, with attendance in 2019 of 109,000 and an economic impact of 473 million.

The return of the Chinese Congress strongly

The organization expects congressmen from almost all parts of the world, especially Europeans, North Americans, and also Many AsiansAfter the 2022 edition, attendance from this continent was small.

As for the Chinese congressmen, Hoffman confirmed he would expect “similar proportions” For those who were before the Covid-19 crisis, though, with one month to go, they still don’t know. One sign of the Chinese congressman’s recovery is that Huawei will be the largest exhibitor at the fairWhich increased the rack surface by 50%.

optimized for the future

In response to a question about the crisis that major technology companies are going through, from which many are suffering Announce layoffs In recent weeks, Hoffman has highlighted how during the pandemic these companies have been among the companies that have hired the most.

So, despite this news, he was “very optimistic about the future,” regarding the 2024 editions, as this situation is not expected to be binding for the 2023 conference.

The GSMA CEO also noted that this is no longer, as it was years ago, just a mobile phone conference, but rather It has up to 14 different sectors More than half of the expected attendees for this edition belong to related industries.

Wait for the taxi dispute to be resolved

Hoffmann is already accustomed to the mobilization threats from the taxi sector in conjunction with the MWC flight over the environment, although it has not yet been implemented.

This year the situation is similar again, after Barcelona taxi drivers, who want to limit the field of action of digital platforms, decided to Planned strike suspended During the Integrated Systems European (ISE) days, which kicks off this Tuesday, but continues to raise mobilization for MWC. “I am very optimistic and pragmatic. I am sure of that The positions will come close. It’s part of the process, I imagine,” and that matter has been resolved.