We’re off to Barcelona at the end of the month to check out some of the coolest innovations taking place in the mobile world. And we are sure you are also looking forward to attending the world’s biggest conference on mobile at this year’s edition of the Mobile World Congress (MWC), which will take place between February 27 – March 2. For those in the mobile industry, it’s a yearly pilgrimage that only gets bigger with each passing year!
Whether you are a first-timer hoping to sign that much-awaited client, an entrepreneur looking forward to your very first demo of a kick-ass product, or an MWC veteran who has seen the conference grow year over year, there’s never a dull moment as a MWC attendee, and one that comes with a lot of expectations!
Get ahead with us! And if you are attending this year’s conference, come say hi to us at booth: 8.1E61. Set a meeting with us by sending us an email at: bookameeting@applift.com
Welcome to the final instalment of our four-part series where we introduce you with AppLifters who have attended MWC over the various years and will share their first-hand experiences so you get an insider look at what to expect at the conference, apart from some shiny new smartphones of course! In this part, meet AppLift’s Events and Community Manager Johana Leeflang who is not only an MWC attendee, but also the magician working behind the scenes to make sure it’s a kick-ass show for us!
When did you first attend MWC and for how many years have you been attending it?
My first time at MWC was in 2016 — so this will be my second visit to the conference, but having lived in Barcelona for four years, the city still feels very much like a second home.
Did you make any faux pas during your first time at MWC?
Not getting enough sleep. The overwhelming nature of the conference and all the fun activities after the show got the better of me. The third night at the show I crashed at 7pm until the next day, meaning that I missed out on all the fun that evening.
What do you like the most about MWC?
Barcelona <3
What’s your least favorite thing about MWC?
The city SHUTS down for the show! With over 100K in attendance, Barcelona city doesn’t quite have enough resources to manage all of the people as swiftly as one would want. For instance, getting a table at some local digs can be a 3+ hour wait and most places will not take group reservations during these dates.
Your favorite memory as a MWC attendee
Experiencing the conference with some AppLift/MWC veterans, since I was both new to both adtech and to the conference scene, having a supportive and experienced team giving plenty of good recommendations beforehand ensured that I didn’t wait 2 hours in a line at the Fira or suffer for 10 hours on high heels and rocked the show in my Nikes 🙂
Share with us one experience of MWC that you cannot forget
My first MWC experience made me realize that the Mobile as a whole is MASSIVE. The hardware halls with the latest releases of devices and other mobile innovations is truly EPIC. If you have time, maybe on the last day of the show when business slows down, escape and sneak a peak. You will be blown!
If you could change one thing about MWC, what would it be?
Move the venue closer to the city to avoid the long commute in & out!
Your favorite post-MWC thing to do
Stay the weekend and enjoy Barcelona without the madness of MWC #MWCAftermath
Tell us one insider secret from MWC
Plan, Enjoy & Relax in that order…. Most calendars start to fill up one month prior to the show, so ensure that you schedule your meetings in advance so that you can speak to the all the people you want to. But don’t book all your meetings back-to-back — the halls are huge and you will need at least 10-15 mins to get to and from one booth to another, so give yourself some gaps in between. And when the conference closes, ensure that you still have some energy to enjoy the amazing parties in the evening!
Your tip for a first-timer at MWC
Plan, Enjoy & Relax annnnnd experience the Spanish kitchen, vino and all! 😉
And that’s a wrap for this series! Catch the previous editions in the series here: Part one, Part two, Part three. What are your tips and insider secrets for MWC? Share with us in the Comments section!