"Having hosted the Mobile World Congress for the tenth time in 2015, we are delighted to confirm that Barcelona will function as Mobile World Capital and home to the Mobile World Congress for the next eight years," said John Hoffman, CEO of Industry Association of GSM mobile operator GSMA announced in a press release . Throughout the period, the GSMA has received huge support from all its partners in Barcelona and looks forward to building on their shared success in the coming years.
The Mobile World Congress is not only the world's largest mobile phone trade fair, but is also one of the most important trade fairs in Europe. This year, the event attracted more than 94,000 visitors from over 200 countries to the new Fira Gran Via, where over 2,000 exhibitors showed (mostly) innovative products. Of course, the city of Barcelona, which was marked by economic crisis and mass unemployment, also benefits from this stream of visitors. According to preliminary figures from a study commissioned by the GSMA, this year's fair contributed more than 436 million euros in revenue and almost 12675 part-time jobs to the local economy.
