LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The GSMA today reported that more than 26,000* unique visitors from 93 countries and territories attended the 2014 Mobile Asia Expo, held 11-13 June in Shanghai. The three-day conference and exhibition attracted executives from the industry’s largest and most influential mobile operators, device makers, equipment providers, software companies and Internet companies, as well as technology-savvy consumers. The conference programme drew more than 3,000 attendees, with more than 55 per cent of delegates holding C-level positions, including over 150 CEOs.
“Our third Mobile Asia Expo was a resounding success and was our largest-ever mobile industry event in Asia,” said John Hoffman, CEO, GSMA Ltd. “The significant increase in attendees illustrates the continued and growing interest in mobile technologies and products, not only among businesses but also with consumers. Across the exhibition, the Mobile Forum conference and the many other meetings, events and programmes, attendees were able to experience how mobile will impact nearly every aspect of their lives now and into the future.”
Held across three halls at the Shanghai New International Exhibition Centre, the 2014 Mobile Asia Expo hosted nearly 300 participating companies. More than 640 international media and industry analysts attended the event to report on the many industry announcements made at Mobile Asia Expo.
Industry and Government Leaders Gather in Shanghai
Mobile Asia Expo opened on 11th June with speeches from Jon Fredrik Baksaas, Chairman of the GSMA, Liu Lihua, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and Sun Jiwei, Governor of the Pudong New Area. The two-day Mobile Forum conference programme featured keynotes from leaders of organisations including China Mobile, China Telecom, Hong Leong Islamic Bank, Huawei, JD.com, Kakao Corporation, KT Corp., Telenor Group, Xiaomi, Weibo Corporation, ZTE and 4iiii Innovation.
Showcasing Leading Companies Across Mobile
The Mobile Asia Expo exhibition showcased companies from across the mobile ecosystem as well as adjacent sectors, including Alcatel-Lucent Shanghai Bell, AT&T, BMW, Canonical/Ubuntu, China Mobile, China Telecom, China Unicom, Coolpad, Dell, Chunghwa Telecom, Citrix, DaTang Telecom, Gemalto, Hitatchi, Huawei, JDSU, Lenovo, Hangzhou Kuaizhi Technology Co. Ltd., KT Corp., McAfee, NTT DOCOMO, Oberthur Technologies, PayPal, Qihoo 360 Technology, SK Telecom, Visa and ZTE, among others. The Expo included 14 pavilions and zones highlighting mobile companies from a number of regions and countries and specific technology focus areas.
Mobile Asia Expo again included a wide range of Featured Programmes, including App Planet, Innovation Labs, Partner Events, Professional Training and events such as the Global Device Summit and the Wearable Device Summit.
New Consumer Elements at MAE
For 2014, the GSMA introduced many new experiences and programmes for tech-savvy consumers attending Mobile Asia Expo, including the Fitbit Challenge and “The Quest for Area 14” mobile treasure hunt. Over three days, the Showcase Stage featured device demonstrations, product presentations and interviews, and hosted an appearance by Chinese pop star Jane Zhang, as well as the GSMA 360Fashion and Tech Runway Show, among other presentations. Another new element, the Device Unlimited Showcase highlighted the latest devices and technologies from China Mobile, Coolpad, HTC, Huawei, Lenovo, Samsung and ZTE.
GSMA Connected City at MAE
For a second year, the Mobile Asia Expo exhibition featured the GSMA Connected City. Across more than 1,600 square metres, the Connected City showcased a range of mobile connected products and services from companies including Accenture, BMW, China Unicom, Cityzen, Fitbit, Huawei, Jibe Mobile, KT, Omate, Oral-B, Qihoo 360, Qualcomm Incorporated, Sequans, Sest-Tech, uPlane, Wanlink Global Technology (SZ) Limited, providing Mobile Asia Expo attendees the opportunity to experience the “Connected Life” first-hand.
Mobile Asia Expo 2014 Partners
China Mobile was the Platinum Event Sponsor for Mobile Asia Expo and Huawei was the Gold Event Sponsor. Strategic Partners for Mobile Asia Expo include China Mobile Communications Association (CMCA) and Shanghai TD-LTE Industry-cum-technological Innovation and Strategy Alliance (SCIA). Official Media Partners include BesTV, Bloomberg, C114, CNBC, Mobile World Live, Sina and The Wall Street Journal.
“We thank all who contributed to the success of our third Mobile Asia Expo, including the government of China, the city of Shanghai, our Platinum Event Sponsor China Mobile and all of our exhibitors, sponsors, partners and attendees,” continued Hoffman. “We look forward to coming back to Shanghai next year and building on the strong success of our 2014 event.”
Mobile Asia Expo 2015 will be held 15-17 July 2015.
For news coverage and video highlights from Mobile Asia Expo, please visit Mobile World Live at www.mobileworldlive.com/mobile-asia-expo-2014. Replays of the Mobile Asia Expo keynote presentations will also be made available on Mobile World Live over the coming weeks.
Note to editor: *This figure represents the number individual attendees at the event, including delegates, exhibitors, contractors and media; it does not represent the total number of entries to the event.
About the GSMA
The GSMA represents the interests of mobile operators worldwide. Spanning more than 220 countries, the GSMA unites nearly 800 of the world’s mobile operators with 250 companies in the broader mobile ecosystem, including handset and device makers, software companies, equipment providers and Internet companies, as well as organisations in industry sectors such as financial services, healthcare, media, transport and utilities. The GSMA also produces industry-leading events such as Mobile World Congress and Mobile Asia Expo.
For more information, please visit the GSMA corporate website at www.gsma.com. Follow the GSMA on Twitter: @GSMA.
