All eyes now on MWC Los Angeles
Following its at-the-time unanticipated but retrospectively lauded decision to cancel Mobile World Congress Barcelona in February, as COVID-19 gained a foothold in Europe, the GSMA announced it will cancel the companion event in Shanghai previously scheduled for June 30 to July 2.
In its April 17 notice of the cancellation, GSMA cited regulations articulated by Chinese authorities on April 8. From that notice: “The principles of safety and steadiness should be implemented in medium and high-risk areas. Activities that call for gathering people should not be organized in principle.”
GMSA left the door open for a potential re-staging of the Shanghai conference and exhibition later in 2020.
“The GSMA has been in regular contact with stakeholders, and sought the advice of health officials and other authorities, as health and safety remain our top priority. The GSMA will work with government and health authorities to find a suitable date and venue to hold regional conferences in China in the latter half of 2020. We will confirm the feasibility of this in the coming months.”
GMSA hosts three installations of Mobile World Congress each year–in Barcelona, Shanghai and Los Angeles. The latter exhibition is currently scheduled to go forward October 28 to 30 in Downtown LA.
