Spain: Barcelona’s global mobile fair maintained in “physical” version

While most of the major international trade fairs have had to be canceled or organized online, the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona is going on. “We will physically organize the event in June-July,” explained a spokesperson for GSMA, the international association of telecom operators which organizes this show, which normally attracts some 100,000 participants. The CES show in Las Vegas, another major annual tech meeting, took place entirely online in January.

“We are working to ensure that MWC 2021 can take place in the safest possible way for all participants,” the spokesperson added.

The health security plan, which will be unveiled in detail in the coming weeks, will include “mandatory tests, use of appropriate masks, social distancing and strengthening of hygiene and training,” said the same source.

At the end of September, the organizers announced the postponement of the 2021 edition to June, while the event usually takes place in late February-early March. In February 2020, a cascade of cancellations from participating companies forced GSMA to cancel the Barcelona show two weeks before it opened, while the virus still had a low known impact in Europe.

Last week, the Spanish government announced that the Fitur tourism fair, one of the main events in the sector, will also take place face-to-face from May 19 to 23. Participants will be required to present a negative PCR test and undergo another rapid on-site test and multiple safety measures are planned.

Many global trade shows have canceled their 2021 edition due to the pandemic, such as the Paris Air Show in France as well as the Geneva motor show.