Everybody’s situation is different, and goals for MWC vary widely. This is my rough suggestions for people like me, who are senior executives attending MWC in a free-form individual manner. Obviously, for some execs, their conference plan is fully arranged for them. This is for the other people who have some goals, but no clear agenda yet, need to make their own plan, and aren’t sure where to start.
Where to stay
Get a hotel close to the L8 or L3 Metro lines. Taking short train rides in and out is a huge advantage. The L3 is best for tourism and Barrio Gotico, and the L8 is best for the Fira. Metro is the best way to get to and from the Fira Gran Via as all surface transport crawls around the Fira. For first time tourists in Barcelona, spend a half day in the open-top buses, and see the main sights fast. Then, spend an evening walking around Barrio Gotico, but leave your purse and wallet at the hotel!!
When to get your pass
Pick up your MWC pass as early as possible to avoid a line at the show entrance. The airport is a good place to get it. Don’t forget to ask for your free transit pass which can be used for 4 days of public transit.
What to bring
Bring a spare battery pack for your phone, a phone headset, comfortable shoes, and chapstick. Dress here is still more formal than North America, with lots of suits, but lots of people are starting to wear more comfortable shoes and clothes. If you want to fit in, add a scarf to your MWC wardrobe.
Your meeting schedule
Try to book all your 1:1 meetings on a single day, in a central place. This way, you won’t have to move much (which sucks up enormous time). There are lounges on the upper level of the Fira Gran Via, and you can use the maps on the MWC website to pick a networking area, but also expect to linger while you wait for seats to open up. If you put the meetings on one day, you can leave a day for visiting stands. You DO NOT want meetings on the day you walk around the expo, because, as I mentioned, any meeting will take you 30 minutes to get there and meet, and 20 minutes to get back to the expo floor – EVEN IF IT IS AT THE FIRA. It will KILL your tour of the floor.
Also note the show floor is open from 9am – 7pm, but the hospitality areas outside the exhibit halls are open from 7:30am – 10pm.
Visiting the show floor
For visiting the expo floor, go on the LATEST day possible. It is very quiet on the last day, and you can move about 2X as fast!!! Also, you have the ability to scan the news each day, and learn what the most talked-about products are. You can then seek out these products on the show floor.
- Choose the special pavilions you want to see in advance, and be sure to pass by there. For example, I like the Innovation City / City of the Future area.
- Some of the Tier 1 vendor booths are “closed” and you need an invite to go in, like Ericsson. They are quite good, so it may be worth arranging an invite.
Finding startups
If you want to see young startups, spend a day at 4 Years From Now (4YFN) at the Fira in Plaza Espana. These are generally EU-based and young companies. Don’t go here if you don’t want to see early stage. 4YFN is included in your MWC pass but is closed Thursday. And, there are shuttles to take you back and forth to the main conference Monday–Wednesday.
Feed the machine
There are plenty of restaurants inside MWC, and because the Spanish generally eat late, you can always get a seat until about 12:30, but should expect lines and eating on your feet between 12:30 and 1:30pm.
For dinner on the town, remember Spaniards eat late and many restaurants don’t open until 8pm. I recommend reservations for groups of 5 or more. Many of the more famous restaurants are already booked, so call now. For casual dining, you will have no problem finding great food after 8pm, but generally touristy food before then.
Social hour
Because the show floor is open until 7pm (except Thursday), most of the international pavilions and many of the larger booths serve snacks and cocktails to end each day, so you don’t need to leave the expo to get social. If evening parties are your thing, some are quite good. Some are loud dance parties, for the younger booth staff, others are very private events for senior executives. Really, there is no right answer here. Both Barcinno and Thomas PR websites maintain pretty good lists of parties and note which ones require an invitation to get in. But I recommend Qualcomm’s party, as it is like a Cirque Du Soleil show with good senior telecom people present. You’ll need to get an invite from Qualcomm.
Good luck!
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