The scaled back 2021 edition of the Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona attracted over 20,000 in-person visitors and around 100,000 unique virtual and daily viewers from 165 countries on MWC21 and partner platforms, according to figures from the GSMA. Over 50 percent of this year’s MWC attendees held senior-level positions, including 1,500 CEOs, and there were more than 1,000 exhibiting companies.
The figures pale in comparison with the record 109,000 visitors that attended the 2019 event but the GSMA nonetheless hailed the “safe and successful return” of MWC Barcelona following the cancellation of the 2020 edition due to the Covid-19 pandemic. It added that the “historic hybrid event” served to create momentum for MWC22 and helped attendees and organisers “reimagine what events look like”.
Separately, El Economista reported that many major companies who withdrew as in-person exhibitors at this year’s event have already booked their 2022 attendance, including Samsung, Ericsson, Nokia, Qualcomm and ZTE. The event will take place in Barcelona from 28 February to 03 March 2022.
