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“We are extremely pleased with the results for the 2018 Mobile World Congress Shanghai, particularly the very strong growth in our business-to-business segment,” said John Hoffman, CEO, GSMA Ltd. “Attendees were able to truly “Discover a Better Future”, from the thought leadership conference to the exhibition and everywhere in between. With more than two-thirds of the world's population as subscribers, mobile is revolutionising industries and improving our everyday lives, creating exciting new opportunities while providing lifelines of hope and reducing inequality. Mobile truly is connecting everyone and everything to a better future.”
Covering seven halls at the SNIEC, the 2018 Mobile World Congress Shanghai hosted 550 exhibitors, nearly half of which come from outside of China. The conference programme attracted nearly 4,000 attendees, with more than 55 per cent of delegates holding senior-level positions, including nearly 320 CEOs. Nearly 830 international media and industry analysts attended Mobile World Congress Shanghai to report on the many industry developments highlighted at the show.
Mobile World Congress Shanghai officially opened on Wednesday, 27 June with a ceremony attended by representatives from the International Telecommunication Union, the China Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the Cyberspace Administration of China, Shanghai local government authorities and the Pudong New District Municipal Government, among other distinguished guests.
Industry Leaders Headline Conference Programme
Held over three days, the Mobile World Congress Shanghai conference programme featured keynotes from leaders of organisations including AngelHack, AsiaInfo Technologies, AT&T Business, Benefit Vantage, Bharti Enterprises, China Mobile, China Telecom, Crown Infrastructure Partners, Dentsu Aegis Network China, Ericsson, FREE MEE, Huawei, Jazz, LightBee, SenseTime, Shell Retail China and Viacom International Media Networks.
The conference addressed a range of topics, from 5G and artificial intelligence (AI) to the Fourth Industrial Revolution and immersive content and media, among others. A new element this year was the Leaders Stage, which explored wide-ranging trends that are impacting citizens’ everyday lives, including digital society, blockchain, cyber security, big data and mobile payment technologies. Alongside the conference, Mobile World Congress Shanghai included many partner programmes and workshops, as well as GSMA forums and seminars.
The Women4Tech Programme made its Shanghai debut, following its success at Mobile World Congress events in Barcelona and in San Francisco. The centerpiece of the programme was the Women4Tech Summit, which was held on Thursday, 28 June on the Leaders Stage, and attendees also had the opportunity to participate in speed coaching and networking sessions.
Showcasing the Latest in Mobile Innovation
The Mobile World Congress Shanghai exhibition showcased hundreds of companies from across the mobile ecosystem as well as adjacent industry sectors. Notable participating companies included AsiaInfo Technologies, BYTON, China Mobile, China Telecom, China Transport Telecommunication Information Group, China Unicom, Datang, Dell, Ericsson, Gemalto, HTC Vive, Huawei, Intel, Lenovo, Nokia, OnStar, PwC, Qualcomm, Samsung LSI, Visa, vivo and Volkswagen, among others. New for 2018, the NEXTech Hall put the spotlight on cutting-edge technologies such as virtual reality and augmented reality, AI and robotics, and was also home to Connected China and the Device City, while the AutoTech Zone and the IoT Zone featured in other industry halls.
The GSMA Innovation City was again a highly popular destination on the exhibition floor, highlighting how “intelligent connectivity” – leveraging 5G, the Internet of Things, AI and big data – can deliver a smarter and more sustainable future. Visitors experienced these technologies and others through a range of hands-on demonstrations that illustrated the positive impact of mobile on virtually every aspect of life, in sectors such as transport, health, agriculture, industry, home and retail. Leading brands participating in the City were BICS, Continental, Huawei, Internet Finance Authentication Alliance (IFAA), Migu, myFC, PwC, Ratta, SI-TECH and Zhejiang Panshi Information Technology.
In its third year in Shanghai, the 4 Years From Now (4YFN) startup event hosted more than 130 international and local startups, including large delegations from South Korea, Spain and others. In addition to the exhibition, the 2018 4YFN programme delivered unique connecting initiatives, including inspirational talks, technical workshops, networking activities, community outreach and the 4YFN Summit and 4YFN Awards.
Co-Located and Partner Events Broaden Experiences for Attendees
Mobile World Congress Shanghai was held concurrently with a number of co-located and partner events. Attracting nearly 8,800 consumer attendees, the Migu Health and Fitness Festival highlighted the intersection of sports, entertainment and technology. The Festival offered a wide variety of exciting activities such as an e-sports competition, a music festival, a running competition, a sports exhibition, a sports technology summit, a sports-focused VR/AR Summit and others. Other events included Display China 2018, droidcon Shanghai 2018, the International Smart City Expo – Shanghai Pudong, the Shanghai International Service Robot Technology and Application Show 2018, and the S-Nova Art & Technology Award.
Mobile World Congress Shanghai: A Carbon Neutral Event
In November 2017, Mobile World Congress Shanghai was again officially certified by the British Standards Institution as carbon neutral under the international PAS 2060 standard, reinforcing its position as the largest carbon neutral exhibition and conference in Asia. For 2018, the GSMA focused on further reducing the environmental impact and carbon footprint of the event, offsetting any outstanding emissions as necessary. The GSMA is continuing to pursue certification of its offices and events, including Mobile World Congress Shanghai, for 2018.
Mobile World Congress Shanghai Partners
Partners for Mobile World Congress Shanghai 2018 included China Mobile (Diamond Event Partner) and Huawei (Platinum Event Partner). Media partners included CNN International and Mobile World Live (Global Media Partners); BBC World News and BBC.com, Bloomberg Businessweek, CCTV2 and LinkedIn (Official Media Partners); and C114, People’s Posts and Telecommunications News, and Tencent News (Strategic Media Partners).
“On behalf of the GSMA, I would like to thank all of our attendees, exhibitors, sponsors and partners who came together to make the 2018 edition of the Mobile World Congress Shanghai such a success,” added Hoffman. “We also extend our gratitude to the government of China and the city of Shanghai and we look forward to returning to Shanghai next year.”
For news coverage and video highlights from Mobile World Congress Shanghai, please visit Mobile World Live at www.mobileworldlive.com/mobile-world-congress-shanghai-2018/. Replays of the Mobile World Congress Shanghai keynote presentations are also available on Mobile World Live.
Mobile World Congress Shanghai 2019 will be held the week of 24 June 2019.
Note to editors:
1. 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.
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About the GSMA
The GSMA represents the interests of mobile operators worldwide, uniting nearly 800 operators with more than 300 companies in the broader mobile ecosystem, including handset and device makers, software companies, equipment providers and internet companies, as well as organisations in adjacent industry sectors. The GSMA also produces industry-leading events such as Mobile World Congress, Mobile World Congress Shanghai, Mobile World Congress Americas and the Mobile 360 Series of conferences.
For more information, please visit the GSMA corporate website at www.gsma.com. Follow the GSMA on Twitter: @GSMA.