We’ve already talked about GSMA’s plans to select a city to be the Mobile World Capital and host the Mobile World Congress. The finalist cities included Barcelona, Milan, Munich and Paris, with Barcelona taking the crown and the benefit to host the MWC for another 5 years. Next year will be the last one when the world’s biggest mobile event is taking place at Fira de Barcelona Montjuic — starting from 2013, the event will move to the brand new Fira de Barcelona Gran.
Here’s what GSMA said in the official announcement:
While all of the cities who competed for this title presented extremely innovative and compelling bids, in the end, Barcelona truly demonstrated that it deserves the title of the Mobile World Capital, with its combination of outstanding exhibition and conference facilities, its transportation and hospitality infrastructure, its commitment to expanding the reach of mobility throughout Barcelona, Catalonia and Spain, and the strong support of the public and private sectors. This is truly an exciting time for Barcelona and for the mobile industry as a whole.
Finally, it’s worth mentioning that the Mobile World Capital also features two additional elements: the Mobile World Centre and the Mobile World Festival. The Mobile World Centre will be comprised of permanent and temporary exhibitions which will meld culture and technological innovation, facilities for the development and incubation of mobile solutions, and retail and hospitality venues. The Mobile World Festival, which is targeted to the general public, will incorporate a range of activities including sporting events, music and art festivals, film awards, applications and technology fairs and more.