GSMA Reports Record Attendance For MWC Shanghai 2017

Jul 10, 2017

Nearly 67,500 Attendees Visit Shanghai Event, a 27 Per Cent Increase Over 2016

The GSMA today reported that nearly 67,500 unique visitors1 from 104 countries and territories attended the 2017 GSMA Mobile World Congress Shanghai, held 28 June – 1 July in Shanghai. The four-day event 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.

“We are extremely pleased with the results for the 2017 Mobile World Congress Shanghai,” said John Hoffman, CEO, GSMA Ltd. “We introduced many new elements for this year’s event, particularly in our “Experience Halls” which were open for four days for the first time. The show truly showcased mobile as the “Human Element” – the technology is impacting nearly every aspect of daily life for billions of people around the world, including more than 2.7 billion mobile subscribers here in Asia, in areas as varied as healthcare, financial services, agriculture, transport, utilities and of course, entertainment.”

Covering seven halls at the Shanghai New International Exhibition Centre (SNIEC), the 2017 Mobile World Congress Shanghai hosted nearly 600 exhibitors. The exhibition was a truly international showcase, with more than half of exhibiting companies coming from outside of China. The conference programme attracted 3,725 attendees, with more than 55 per cent of delegates holding senior-level positions, including more than 125 CEOs. Nearly 800 international media and industry analysts attended Mobile World Congress Shanghai to report on the many industry developments highlighted at the show.

New for 2017, the Smart City Expo – Shanghai Pudong was incorporated as part of Mobile World Congress Shanghai, promoting the region’s strengths in smart tourism, smart community and smart exhibition. The Shanghai Digital Information Festival was again co-located alongside Mobile World Congress Shanghai at the SNIEC. With almost 10,000 visitors and approximately 120 exhibitors2, the Festival demonstrated how citizens can utilise technology in areas such as education, healthcare, travel and entertainment.

Mobile World Congress Shanghai and the Shanghai Digital Information Festival officially opened on Wednesday, 28 June with a joint ceremony attended by government representatives from China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, Cyberspace Administration of China, Shanghai Municipal Government, Shanghai Municipal Commission of Economy and Informatization, Shanghai Municipal Commission of Commerce, Shanghai Municipal Commission of Education, Shanghai Communications Administration, Shanghai Civil Affairs Bureau and Pudong Municipal Government.

Industry Leaders Headline Conference Programme
Extended to three days, the Mobile World Congress Shanghai conference programme included keynotes from leaders of organisations including AsiaInfo Group, Bharti Enterprises, China Mobile, China Unicom, Chunghwa Telecom Mobile Business, Ctrl-Shift, GlobalFoundries, Huawei, Internet Society, KDDI, Qualcomm, Seeing Machines, Telstra, The National Assembly of the Republic of Korea, The Next 3B, Trend Micro and Yingtan City (China). A series of focused summits addressed topics such as 5G, automotive, cyber security, Internet of Things (IoT), device innovation, mobile media and content, and virtual reality/augmented reality, among others.

Alongside the conference, Mobile World Congress Shanghai also included many partner programmes, forums and seminars, providing attendees the opportunity to build knowledge, gain insights and share best practices. These educational programmes focused on subjects such as 5G and next-generation networks, devices, drones, identity, messaging as a platform, video and many others.

Exhibition Showcases Latest Mobile Innovation
Spanning seven halls at the SNIEC, the Mobile World Congress Shanghai exhibition showcased companies from across the mobile ecosystem as well as adjacent industry sectors, including Alibaba, AsiaInfo, China Mobile, China Telecom, China Unicom, CITIC International Telecom, Datang Telecom, Ericsson, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, HTC, Huawei, Nokia, PayPal, Qualcomm, Samsung, Toyota, Visa, Volkswagen and ZTE. Mobile World Congress Shanghai also included 15 pavilions with exhibits from specific countries and regions.

The Mobile World Congress Shanghai “Experience Halls” focused on four main themes: sports, lifestyle, entertainment and learning, with features including the Device City, the Health & Fitness Zone, the Mixed Reality Home, the Sports Tech Zone and the VR & AR Zone, among others. Additionally, attendees had the chance to see the world’s leading drone pilots go head to head in the Drone Racing Competition, as well as the top professional all-female leagues battling in the Mobile Gaming Tournament. The Youth Mobile Festival (YoMo) was back in Shanghai, with more than 14,000 visitors experiencing interactive exhibits, workshops and hands-on activities designed to foster future innovators.

A highlight of the “Industry Halls” was the GSMA Innovation City. Visitors to the City saw first-hand how mobile-connected products and services are improving the lives of citizens, enterprises and governments in Asia and around the world, with immersive, cutting-edge demonstrations covering industry sectors such as retail, transport, automotive and more. Innovation City partners included BICS, Cubic Telecom, HID Global, Huawei, Guiyang City Government, KT Corporation, myFC, PayPal, Qvantel and SI-TECH.

4 Years From Now (4YFN) was also back in Shanghai for a second year, with 132 startups from 16 countries, including China, Germany, India, Israel, Japan, Korea, Spain and others. The 2017 4YFN programme featured the exhibition, pitch sessions, presentations from entrepreneurs and industry experts, and the 4YFN Awards, as well as external activities to promote China’s entrepreneurial ecosystem to 4YFN participants.

Mobile World Congress Shanghai: A Carbon Neutral Event
Mobile World Congress Shanghai was again certified carbon neutral under the PAS 2060 standard in November 2016, reinforcing its position as the largest carbon neutral exhibition and conference in Asia. In 2017, the GSMA focused on further reducing the environmental impact of the event, reducing electricity consumption and waste in printed materials, utilising digital signage and electronic tools, and working with the SNIEC, exhibitors and local partners to minimise the carbon footprint. As part of efforts to encourage the re-use and recycling of materials at the venue, the GSMA also brought its “Donation Room” programme to Shanghai, where exhibitors were able to donate unneeded furniture to local socially responsible entities at the end of the event. Following Mobile World Congress Shanghai 2017, the GSMA will pursue re-certification, calculating the event’s total carbon footprint and offsetting any outstanding emissions.

Mobile World Congress Shanghai 2018 will be held the week of 25 June 2018.