Eulàlia Ripoll is a key player in the Mobile World Congress. As a event director of one of the most important meetings to be held in Spain in 2013, Eulàlia’s views and opinions about the MICE sector should be listened with attention.
E&TB Group blog is proud to publish a two-part interview with the woman that oversees all the departments and actors involved in the MWC. On this interview’s final part, Eulàlia Ripoll introduces us to some new features that attendees will discover on the Mobile World Congress 2013.
- In the past years, the congress has grown and developed tremendously. Nevertheless, there are still issues to solve, for example the high number of robberies during the meeting…
Of course we continue working towards excellence, regardless of the magnitude of the event. We have developed very robust security programmes to ensure the safety and comfort of attendees to Mobile World Congress, and of course, we always look for the way we can even further strengthen them.
It should be noted that Barcelona, in general, is an extremely safe city with very low level of violent crime. However, it is true that events like the Mobile World Congress do attract petty crime, and this is what we’re tackling by putting in extra security measures. In 2012, only 1% of attendees, at most, were affected by crime.
Our partners have pulled out all the stops to assist us in this area and we would like to thank them – especially the Government of Catalonia, the City Council and, specially, the police forces.
- Will the organization introduce any new feature to the event that could help to expose products or encourage business deals? It seems that the App Planet, the centre of the Apps Universe, has been very successful during last 3 years…
In addition to programmes introduced within last years, such as App Planet or the mPowered Brands Programme, we’re excited to be featuring many new elements at the 2013 Mobile World Congress as the Connected City. The GSMA is expanding upon its highly popular ‘Connected House’ exhibit to create the ‘Connected City.’ In partnership with mobile operators including AT&T, Deutsche Telekom, KT, Telenor and Vodafone, the GSMA will showcase a range of mobile connected products and services, providing Mobile World Congress attendees the opportunity to experience the Connected Life.
Another exciting development for 2013 is the launch of the NFC Experience, an interactive experience through which exhibitors, vendors, and attendees use mobile Near Field Communication (NFC) technology to exchange information and conduct transactions. As part of the new NFC Experience at Mobile World Congress, the GSMA will showcase an integrated range of mobile NFC services. Attendees with NFC-enabled handsets will be able to take advantage of NFC technology at locations throughout the Fira Gran Via and in the city. NFC touch points will be abundant throughout Congress, rewarding those who ‘tap’ with instant access to information such as downloads on the conference sessions and keynotes, as well as information of restaurants and tourist attractions around Barcelona itself.
- Speaking about Barcelona’s tourist attractions: do you believe that visitors and exhibitors would also like to visit Barcelona due to its culture, gastronomy, shopping, nightlife and FC Barcelona matches?
Absolutely! The social and cultural aspects of Barcelona are an important attraction for attendees for Mobile World Congress assistants . There’s so much to do and see in Barcelona, with so many museums and attractions, sporting events (if we’re lucky enough to see a FC Barcelona match during Mobile World Congress), restaurants, bars and clubs, and shopping. Attendees to Mobile World Congress leave Barcelona with a very well-rounded experience!
Related posts:
- Q & A with Eulàlia Ripoll, Mobile World Congress event director (1st part)
- World Mobile Congress from 25th to 28st February 2013 in Barcelona
- Big-hitting CEOs to speak at Barcelona’s Mobile World Congress 2012
- Mobile event apps for conferences and corporate events
- Q & A with Graeme Barnett, EIBTM Exhibition Director (2nd part)
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