More than 95,000 Attendees, 2,000 Exhibitors Expected for the 2016 Event London: The GSMA today outlined the first details of the 2016 GSMA Mobile World Congress, including confirmed keynote speakers, exhibitors and sponsors, as well as programmes and activities taking place at the annual mobile industry event. Under the theme Mobile is Everything', Mobile World Congress will be held 22-25 February 2016 at Fira Gran Via in Barcelona, with events also taking place at Fira Montju c. The GSMA expects that more than 95,000 attendees from across the mobile industry and adjacent industry sectors will gather for the 2016 event.
The 2016 edition of Mobile World Congress marks the 30th anniversary of the event and over the past three decades, we've experienced the dramatic growth and development of the industry, said Michael O'Hara, Chief Marketing Officer, GSMA. At the same time, we've continuously evolved Mobile World Congress to keep pace with this change and our 2016 event reflects this, with new participants, programmes and event elements and we look forward to welcoming the mobile industry back to Barcelona in February.
Leading CEOs to Keynote in Barcelona
The GSMA today announced the first confirmed keynote speakers for the four-day Mobile World Congress conference programme, including:
Simon Segars, CEO, ARM
Jonah Peretti, Founder and CEO, BuzzFeed
Hans Vestberg, President and CEO, Ericsson
Jon Fredrik Baksaas, Chairman, GSMA
Mats Granryd, Director General Designate, GSMA
Anne Bouverot, Chair and CEO, Morpho (Safran)
Sifiso Dabengwa, Executive Director, Group President and CEO, MTN Group
Richard Fain, Chairman and CEO, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.
In addition to the keynotes, the conference will include in-depth track sessions examining topics such as big data, connecting the unconnected, devices, digital commerce, emerging markets, enterprise mobility, financial services, the Internet of Things (IoT), mobile identity and privacy, network evolution and security, among others. The Call for Papers for the Mobile World Congress conference has been extended and submissions will be accepted through 23:59 GMT on Friday, 18 September. For more information on the conference, visit www.mobileworldcongress.com/conference/conference-overview/.
Exhibition to Showcase More Than 2,000 Companies
As always, the Mobile World Congress exhibition features the leading products, services and technologies that are shaping the future of mobile, from handsets and devices to network infrastructure, software and services and much more. More than 2,000 companies are expected to exhibit, including global brands such as Alcatel-Lucent, AT&T, Deutsche Telekom, Ericsson, Ford Motor Company, Google, Huawei, Intel, Lenovo, Microsoft, NEC, Nokia, Qualcomm, Samsung, SK Telecom, Sony Mobile Communications, Telef nica, VMware and Vodafone, among others. The show floor will also include a number of exhibits focusing on specific technology areas, including the Graphene Pavilion, Green Pavilion, IoT Pavilion, Mobile Money Pavilion and Wearables Pavilion.
The GSMA Innovation City will again be a highlight of the Mobile World Congress exhibition, with confirmed partners including AT&T, Jasper, KT Corporation and Sierra Wireless. Covering nearly 1,900 square metres, this unique space will enable attendees to experience technology in context and see how mobile-connected products and services can improve the daily lives of citizens and businesses, in industrial applications as well as home, automotive, health, agriculture and others. For more information on the exhibition, visit www.mobileworldcongress.com/exhibition/.
2016 GSMA Ministerial Programme at Mobile World Congress
An integral part of Mobile World Congress, the GSMA Ministerial Programme convenes governments, regulators and industry leaders to discuss and debate the critical issues shaping the development of mobile around the world. In addition to the exclusive Mobile World Summit, the Ministerial Programme will include focused leadership sessions addressing key topics such as digital inclusion, mobile identity, the Internet of Things and future regulatory paradigms, as well as regional sessions exploring the unique issues of markets including Asia Pacific, Latin America, the Middle East and North Africa, and Sub-Saharan Africa. The 2016 Ministerial Programme, which is sponsored by Intel, will host more than 1,500 attendees over the four days of Mobile World Congress. For more information, visit www.ministerialprogramme.com/.
Partner Programmes at Mobile World Congress
Mobile World Congress enables attendees to amplify their knowledge about the mobile industry through events developed and presented by some of the top organisations in the mobile ecosystem. These programmes include:
Partner Events - Companies hosting partner events in the Theatre District in Hall 8.0 include 24Notion, AppNexus, AVG, Gionee Communication Equipment, IBM, Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB), McCann Worldgroup, Taiwan Trade Center Barcelona, Twitter and ZTE. Additionally, Mobile Media Summit will hold a vertical industry-focused conference on mobile advertising and marketing, while European Connected Health Alliance will hold the full-day Digital Health & Wellness Summit.
App Planet - Now in its seventh year, App Planet connects the developer community and the broader mobile ecosystem with exhibition, app developer conferences, product and service demonstrations and workshops from some of the largest and most influential mobile industry companies. Generalitat de Catalunya is the Official App Planet Sponsor.
Power Hour - Back for a third year, the Theatre District will host the Power Hour sessions, featuring one-hour standalone presentations from industry leaders on a range of topics. The first confirmed Power Hour Presenter is Laird Technologies.
