No strike by taxi drivers, nor by metro workers, nor political demonstrations taking advantage of the largest international showcase in Barcelona… The Mobile World Congress (MWC) is enjoying unusual tranquility after overcoming the pandemic bump. Without any surprises or social conflict that endangers the mobility of attendees, the event advances towards a peaceful celebration without any surprises from Monday, February 26 to Thursday, February 29.
The CEO of the GSMA, John Hoffman, attributes the favorable scenario surrounding the congress to the contract signed with local administrations with no expiration date. “Agreements reached in the longer term help provide stability,” celebrates Hoffman in conversation with La Vanguardia, making explicit reference to Fira de Barcelona, ??the Government, the Generalitat and the city councils of Barcelona and l’Hospitalet.
He has had a very special relationship with the latter since the congress moved to Fira Gran Via. For ten years, every Friday before the fair, Hoffman and the mayor of the city, Núria Marín, meet in the Plaza Europa village to give each other a big hug, eat some tapas and toast to the good future of the congress. If in other years Marín has put a straw hat on Hoffman with virtual reality glasses or made him dance to the rhythm of a rumba, this time he has put a pink sweatshirt on him to talk with young people who have been trained in digital topics to Help older people who require your help to carry out bureaucratic procedures. These same young people who dress casually will from now on serve neighbors who have problems with technology from stalls in municipal markets and other municipal facilities, the latest development of the L’Hospitalet 6.0 program, which tries to put an end to all digital divides.
“L’Hospitalet is an excellent example of digital and technological transformation,” celebrates Hoffman, satisfied that the city exhibits this more informative part along with a leisure area in which there is a sample of local gastronomy and musical performances designed for both residents of the city as well as for the congressmen. For now, those who were already there yesterday afternoon are some of the thousands of workers who throughout the weekend will put the final touches on the assembly tasks of the fair’s stands.
