In just over a week (February 26-29), approximately 85,000 attendees will gather at the Fira de Barcelona for Mobile World Congress 2024. Over the years, the show has become one of the most important mobile events, bringing together phone makers, telecoms, tech vendors, journalists, and analysts to discuss the industry’s future.
Like other major in-person events, MWC has faced challenges in the last few years. In 2019, the show attracted 109,000 visitors, and although it’s not as large as CES, it’s still a significant turnout for a more narrowly focused event. The COVID pandemic also impacted the show, leading to the cancellation of the 2020 event and a scaled-back version the following year.
Despite the challenges, the show saw a bounce back in attendance in 2022, with 60,000 attendees, and last year’s event drew 88,500 attendees. While this number is lower than past years, MWC remains a large and influential event.
However, judging the show’s current importance is challenging due to macro trends that have affected tech industry tradeshows. Large vendors have begun hosting their own standalone events, and the pandemic has accelerated this trend. Some major industry names, such as Samsung, no longer have a significant presence at MWC.
Despite this, there is a strong presence of startups at MWC, particularly at its sister event, 4FYN. This event, celebrating its tenth year, offers the opportunity for startups to showcase their innovations to MWC’s engaged audience.
Looking ahead to the event, some anticipated trends include a focus on health-centered wearables, head-worn displays, and concept devices. Additionally, AI and robotics are expected to be prominent topics, as well as discussions around 6G and the latest wireless standard, Wi-Fi.
TechCrunch will be present at MWC to cover the latest developments at the event.
