The future of one of Barcelona’s biggest association
meetings, the Mobile World Congress (MWC), remains clouded in uncertainty amid
continued political unrest.
Organiser the GSMA has reiterated its concerns about the
location of the world’s largest gathering for the mobile industry, which has
been staged in Barcelona since 2006.
In a short statement it said it, ‘continues to monitor the
situation in Spain and Catalonia and assess any potential impact for the Mobile
World Capital and the Mobile World Congress’.
The GSMA however confirmed that the 2018 edition would be
held in the Catalan capital, February 26-March 1, as planned, and recalled its
agreement to stay in the city until 2023.
GMSA CEO John Hoffman visited Barcelona earlier this month
for a meeting of the Board of Trustees
of the Barcelona Mobile World Capital Foundation, in which, according to local
newspaper La Vanguardia, there was talk of ‘restlessness and unease’ about
Barcelona’s role as congress host.
According to further media reports Catalonia’s decision to
unilaterally declare independence has prompted
some companies to move their headquarters out of the region, and there is a concern
that a risk averse GSMA may find an alternative home, too, if the situation
deteriorates.
Last year, the Mobile World Congress attracted a record
108,000 delegates, generating EUR 465 million for the local economy, and more
than 13,000 temporary jobs.
The enormous gathering has not been universally admired by
Catalans however.
Mayor Ada Colau, a former housing activist, expressed doubts
about the sustainability of continuing to host the event, in the context of
mass tourism and its impact on the city, although she later backed the
organisation’s commitment to remain in the city for the next six years.
The GMSA is sensitive to any kind of disruption that might
affect the smooth-running of its annual congress, which has become the
international showcase event for the industry. It previously raised concerns
about a metro strike in the city.
