27 June 2022, London: Today the GSMA Board agreed that Barcelona will remain the host of MWC and the Mobile World Capital through to 2030. Extending the commitment to Barcelona acknowledges that the current partnership with the Host City Parties (HCP) is a resounding success, and that the Barcelona location is a critical element in making MWC the mobile ecosystem’s must-attend tech event.
“We are thrilled to announce that MWC will remain in Barcelona through to 2030,” said Mats Granryd, Director General of the GSMA. “Recent global circumstances have created some of the toughest challenges we’ve faced with MWC, and the strength of our partnership with the Host City Parties was a critical element in our being able to bring the show back. In fact, Barcelona is so intertwined in the MWC experience, it’s hard for me to think about one and not the other.”
Since its move to Barcelona in 2006, MWC has continued to grow, and it now includes a range of programmes and activities throughout the year that benefit the citizens of Barcelona, Catalonia, and Spain, the global mobile and technology sectors through activities such as the Mobile World Capital and mSchools.
Since becoming the Mobile World Capital, the HCP have developed a world-class model for international events that links economic growth, industrial development, and job creation. “On behalf of the Host City Parties, we thank the GSMA for confirming their trust in our longstanding partnership by extending the relationship to host the MWC and be the Mobile World Capital through at least 2030,” said Pau Relat, FIRA Chairman. “The excitement that occurs around MWC is extended through the activities of the Mobile World Capital Foundation. These activities provide legacy activities for the local, regional, and national communities and citizens. We are delighted by the GSMA’s decision to remain in Barcelona.”
“Barcelona is so much more than the city where MWC occurs. We’ve not just grown the event since our move to Barcelona but evolved it to include an entire ecosystem. The hospitality and people of the city and the true partnership we experience at every level means Barcelona is an intricate part of what the GSMA wants to create through MWC. A coming together of community to inspire something bigger than any individual part. This is an exciting time for the mobile ecosystem and the tech sector, and I couldn’t be happier that Barcelona remains the Capital of that activity,” said John Hoffman, CEO GSMA Ltd.
The GSMA and Barcelona City Council, Generalitat de Catalunya, the Ministry of Economy and Digital Transformation, Fira de Barcelona, Tourism de Barcelona (collectively the Host City Parties) will hold a joint press conference at 11:30 am CET on Wednesday 20th July at the Fira de Barcelona Montjuic.
Media wishing to attend should RSVP at pressoffice@gsma.com.
-ENDS-
About GSMA
The GSMA is a global organisation unifying the mobile ecosystem to discover, develop and deliver innovation foundational to positive business environments and societal change. Our vision is to unlock the full power of connectivity so that people, industry, and society thrive. Representing mobile operators and organisations across the mobile ecosystem and adjacent industries, the GSMA delivers for its members across three broad pillars: Connectivity for Good, Industry Services and Solutions, and Outreach. This activity includes advancing policy, tackling today’s biggest societal challenges, underpinning the technology and interoperability that make mobile work, and providing the world’s largest platform to convene the mobile ecosystem at the MWC and M360 series of events.
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