Barcelona’s Mayor, Ada Colau, emphasised this Tuesday the “good understanding” between the public administrations which share the organisation of the MWC: the Catalan Government, Barcelona’s City Hall and the Spanish Government.

The MWC and Barcelona: a strong relationship born in 2005

Over the past ten years, by playing host to the MWC Barcelona has become widely recognised as a mobile centre of Europe, and continues to innovate as seen for example in the event being certified as carbon neutral in 2014.

Last year, GSMA CEO John Hoffmann confirmed that the MWC will stay in Barcelona until 2023, maintaining the city’s reputation as a mobile centre of Europe.

The 11th edition of the Mobile World Congress surpassed its own record and registered 101,000 visitors, 6% more than the previous year’s edition. Barcelona’s community benefited greatly from the creation of over 13,000 part-time jobs, and close to €460 million in increased revenue. The 2,200 stands distributed across two different venues, L’Hospitalet Gran Via and Fira de Montjuic, constituted an exhibition of 110,000 square metres where the latest news in the mobile phone-related industry were unveiled. Presentations on virtual reality held the spotlight throughout the week, with newly unveiled gadgets and discussions on how virtual reality will change how we live and communicate.