Mobile World Congress 2024 has exceeded the figure of 100,000 visitors. Over its four days, the world's largest mobile telephony congress, held in Barcelona, received nearly 101,000 attendees from 205 countries. GSMA, the company organizing the congress, explained that the event has brought together more than 2,700 exhibitors, sponsors and partners from the mobile phone sector. They added that the MWC had 1,100 speakers, of which 40% were women.
John Hoffman, CEO of GSMA, stated this Thursday that "MWC Barcelona embodies the energy and vitality of the mobile ecosystem. We are proud to host this special event which, once again, has offered four exceptional days of debate, intellectual leadership, inspiration and closing of agreements. Our thanks to all those who attended this year's edition and a special one to the festivities of the host city. Barcelona has once again fulfilled ".
10th anniversary of 4YFN
Also, 51% of the attendees were at management level and above, of which 21% were C-Suite and 26% were women. According to the organizing company, the event was attended by nearly 2,600 accredited journalists and analysts from around the world and more than 400,000 spectators attended the keynotes and live sessions at MWC Barcelona, Mobile World Live and platforms and media associates The GSMA Ministerial Programme convened more than 180 delegations from 140 countries, including 2 heads of state, more than 70 ministers, practically 120 heads of regulatory authorities and more than 40 intergovernmental organizations.
MWC Barcelona has been certified as carbon neutral for 10 years and this year, the use of the free public transport pass given to all MWC attendees has increased by 42% compared to last year.
The Talent Arena, MWCapital's new space, closed its first edition with a 48-hour Open Gateway Hackathon involving professionals from more than 400 companies. Regarding 4YFN, the congress parallel to the MWC which is focused on emerging companies and start-ups, which celebrated its 10th anniversary this year, it welcomed 930 exhibitors, 450 speakers and more than 1,000 investors with collective funds worth of 50,000 million euros.
AI and 5G, protagonists of MWC 2024
Mats Granryd, Director General of the GSMA, commented after the publication of the data that "the reason we gather in Barcelona every year is to hear really compelling perspectives from the sector in the conference programme and to experience innovation, ingenuity and optimism on the showfloor The aim of this event is to provide a glimpse into the future and demonstrate how AI, 5G and APIs are opening up new possibilities, thanks to collaborative initiatives such as GSMA Open Gateway".