Carla Richardson
Account Executive

NOTE TO SELF: Write about My First Visit to MWC

March 9, 2018

This year, I made my very first venture to Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. I have been working in the industry for a couple of years now, so it was about time I attended the biggest mobile event in the world.

For starters, I didn’t bring an umbrella. Barcelona was rainy (with a bit of snow), windy and cold. I am from the U.K. so I am used to the dreary weather, but I had higher hopes for Barcelona!

NOTE TO SELF: pack for all weather conditions.

MWC Barcelona attracted 107,000 visitors from 205 countries and hosted over 2,300 exhibitors. These exhibitors spread across eight halls at the FIRA, between halls, in the outdoor areas, and at 4YFN at the old FIRA. It was so busy that between the halls there were walking conveyor belts and people-traffic controllers (yep).

Everyone had places to be and people to see; from above it would look like the panic in an anthill when it starts to rain. You become very impatient, getting irritated when someone is walking slowly, running past people who just stand on moving walkways. At times, it felt like I was on a commute in London.

NOTE TO SELF: CALM DOWN. Leave yourself some time to get to your destination and avoid being hot and flustered when you get to your client’s booth (a lot of the halls were very hot and stuffy).

Getting a taxi to the show was a bit tricky and getting from the show meant standing in a queue in the rain. You quickly realize how much you rely on Uber and the likes when a city doesn’t have it. We were given travel cards when we collected our badges for public transport, but it was a good 40 minutes to get to the show from where we were staying.

NOTE TO SELF: next time have a regular taxi driver or book an apartment within walking distance from the conference center.

On the first day, my colleague and I sat in the reception area of the hall where our first meeting was and did some work on our laptops as we had plenty of time to spare. Little did we know we were in the wrong spot – a meeting room rather than the booth, which was in an entirely different hall.

NOTE TO SELF: the locations on the MWC website are not always clear. Scout out where your meetings are first, before feeling smug about having lots of time.

In conclusion, even though MWC was tiring and mayhem from a work perspective, it had a lot to offer. When walking to and from meetings I would catch a glimpse of what other companies are doing, but I didn’t leave myself enough time to have a wander around the halls and make the most of being at the show. I would have liked to have made myself look silly or watched someone else looking silly with the virtual reality headsets, or had a go on a new drone, or learned more about the newest apps.

NOTE TO SELF: Enjoy the show. Don’t race around at 100mph, come away having learned or tried something new.

These notes will come in handy the next time I attend a future MWC event, and I know I will be better prepared next time. Thank you for having me, MWC!

Carla Richardson
Account Executive

NOTE TO SELF: Write about My First Visit to MWC

March 2, 2018

This year, I made my very first venture to Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. I have been working in the industry for a couple of years now, so it was about time I attended the biggest mobile event in the world.

For starters, I didn’t bring an umbrella. Barcelona was rainy (with a bit of snow), windy and cold. I am from the U.K. so I am used to the dreary weather, but I had higher hopes for Barcelona!

NOTE TO SELF: pack for all weather conditions.

MWC Barcelona attracted 107,000 visitors from 205 countries and hosted over 2,300 exhibitors. These exhibitors spread across 8 halls, between halls, and in the outdoor areas. It was so busy that between the halls there were walking conveyor belts and people-traffic controllers (yep).

Everyone had places to be and people to see; from above it would look like the panic in an anthill when it starts to rain. You become very impatient, getting irritated when someone is walking slowly, running past people who just stand on moving walkways. At times, it felt like I was on a commute in London.

NOTE TO SELF: CALM DOWN. Leave yourself some time to get to your destination and avoid being hot and flustered when you get to your client’s booth (a lot of the halls were very hot and stuffy).

Getting a taxi to the show was a bit tricky and getting from the show meant standing in a queue in the rain. You quickly realize how much you rely on Uber and the likes when a city doesn’t have it. We were given travel cards when we collected our badges for public transport, but it was a good 40 minutes to get to the show from where we were staying.

NOTE TO SELF: next time either have a regular taxi driver or book an apartment within walking distance from the conference center.

On the first day, my colleague and I sat in the reception area of the hall where our first meeting was and did some work on our laptops as we had plenty of time to spare. Little did we know we were in the wrong spot – a meeting room rather than the booth, which was in an entirely different hall.

NOTE TO SELF: the locations on the MWC website are not always clear. Scout out where your meetings are first, before feeling smug about having lots of time.

In conclusion, even though MWC was tiring and mayhem from a work perspective, it had a lot to offer. When walking to and from meetings I would catch a glimpse of what other companies are doing, but I didn’t leave myself enough time to have a wander around the halls and make the most of being at the show. I would have liked to have made myself look silly or watched someone else looking silly with the virtual reality headsets, or had a go on a new drone, or learned more about the newest apps.

NOTE TO SELF: Enjoy the show. Don’t race around at 100mph, come away having learned or tried something new.

These notes will come in handy the next time I attend a future MWC event, and I know I will be better prepared next time. Thank you for having me, MWC!