The annual GSMA Mobile World Congress Shanghai is set to kick off this week from June 27-29 at the Shanghai New International Expo Centre. Executives from around the world will convene to discuss technological and marketing trends that are shaping the mobile space.
This year’s event will include more than 600 participating companies and it is expected to attract over 60,000 attendees. Keynote speakers include AT&T Business CEO Thaddeus Arroyo, Viacom International Media Networks president & CEO David Lynn, and Sunil Bharti Mittal, the founder and chairman of The GSMA. New speakers include Dentsu Aegis Network China CEO Susana Tsui and China Mobile chairman Shang Bing.
“We’ve expanded the number of programs and events at Mobile World Congress Shanghai, featuring everything from sports and fitness to service robots to the intersection of art and innovation, and beyond,” GSMA chief marketing officer Michael O’Hara said in a statement.
In addition to a showcase of service robots, Internet of Things (IoT) joins artificial intelligence and 5G data connections as one of the main themes of the event, as we live in an ever-more connected world. GSMA Intelligence released a report in May stating that the global IoT market will be worth $1.1 trillion in revenue by 2025 as the market value shifts from connectivity to platforms, applications and services. Additionally, the number of global IoT connections via both cellular and non-cellular will reach 25.2 billion by 2025.
Advertisers may be especially interested in the Marketing Excellence Summit, which takes place on June 28, and addresses the telecom industry’s problem with creativity when it comes to marketing and advertising. Panels include Innovation and Technology to Marketing and Marketing in the Mobile Age, the latter includes speakers Josh Ong, director of global brand strategy & communications at Cheetah Mobile and Amanda Woolverton, CMO of Ericsson Asia. Panels will discuss cost-efficient ways companies can continually engage with customers at every touchpoint by increasing campaign frequency, engagement and distributing promotions across multiple digital channels and measuring marketing performances.
Additionally, the Women4Tech Summit is debuting at this year’s Shanghai conference, following its successful launch at MWC 2017 in Barcelona. Senior level speakers and panelists will discuss ways to ensure gender equality in mainstream work environments while sharing advice for broadening gender diversity. The GSMA developed the Women4Tech program to “address gender diversity in the mobile industry,” designed to increase female leadership in the digital age to achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls. Activities will include speed coaching and networking sessions, special tours and more.
Mobile World Congress Shanghai will also feature a range of partner programs developed by leaders from across the mobile ecosystem. They include The 42nd Asia Pacific Mobile Operators Conference, the GTI Summit Shanghai 2018, six Huawei-hosted events held through the three-day conference.
“We have a very exciting event lined up,” O’Hara said in the statement. “We are looking forward to bringing the mobile world together in Shanghai.”
