MWC Attracts 55,000 Visitors

This year's Mobile World Congress in Barcelona attracted more than 55,000 visitors, who gathered to discuss the future of the mobile phone industry. The turnout makes this year’s event the largest yet, according to a GSMA release. The conference, which spanned three days, featured more than 230 chief executives and speakers and attracted more than 8,000 delegates. Among these were Arun Sarin, CEO of Vodafone; actor and filmmaker Robert Redford; Wang Jianzhou, CEO of China Mobile; John Chambers, CEO of Cisco; Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo, CEO of Nokia; Black-Eyed-Peas front man will.i.am; and actress and filmmaker Isabella Rossellini. "We are delighted by the seniority of the people that have travelled from all over the world to Barcelona for the Congress," John Hoffman, CEO of the GSMA’s conference division, said in a statement. "More than 43 percent of conference attendees hold C-level positions within their organizations." Topics discussed at the Congress included Long-Term Evolution (LTE), made-for-mobile short films, and the environment. Mobile entertainment and content were a major theme, with an entire hall dedicated to multimedia content for mobile devices. Media coverage included 2,700 international print, Web and broadcast outlets, who brought attention to 1,300 exhibitors spanning 29,000 square metres of exhibition space. GSMA's next major event is the Mobile Asia Congress, which takes place in Macau from November 18 to 20.