John Hoffman, CEO of GSMA Ltd.
As registration for GSMA MWC25 Barcelona opens, I look forward to returning to the Fira Gran Via in March, welcoming new and returning attendees to the world’s largest and most influential connectivity event.
In the almost 20 years since we brought our flagship event to Barcelona, the city has evolved to become one of Europe’s leading technology centres and is now home to R&D pioneers, including the Barcelona Supercomputing Center, the Catalan Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology and the Institute of Photonic Sciences. What’s more, the number of international tech hubs in Barcelona and the wider Catalonia region has quadrupled in the last seven years to reach 140, generating over 26,000 jobs with an annual economic impact of €2.5 billion.
During this time, MWC Barcelona has changed with the world around it, growing in both scope and scale. We’ve brought new features to the event, whether it’s the GSMA Ministerial Programme which began in 2006, the 4YFN startup platform which celebrated its 10th anniversary earlier this year, or Connected Industries which we introduced in 2022 to celebrate the mobile innovations driving progress in vertical sectors. It’s this unique combination of exhibition, conference, startup platform and the largest gathering of policymakers who enable the digital economy that means you’ll find everybody at MWC Barcelona, from founders and enterprise leaders, right up to heads of state.
At the heart of all this change sits human talent, which powers every idea, technological breakthrough or societal change, however large or small. Our event is only possible because of this human talent; because of the visionaries and pioneers who not only anticipated change, but created it – for the benefit of humanity and the planet.
MWC25 returns under the banner of our new event theme, Converge. Connect. Create. and is the place where global leaders and innovators gather every year to network, take inspiration and do business. This year’s themes chart the next chapter of digital change: 5G Inside, Connect X, AI+, Enterprise Re-invented, Game Changers and Our Digital DNA.
As an event geared around the future of connectivity, it’s important that we serve the needs of the future innovators and leaders of our industry. And that’s exactly what Talent Arena seeks to achieve.
Talent Arena – a new co-located event with MWC25 Barcelona
After a successful pilot edition earlier this year, Talent Arena will once again be the place where digital talent meets, at a time when the global connectivity community is gathered in Barcelona for MWC.
Presented by Mobile World Capital in collaboration with the GSMA, the Spanish Ministry of Digital Transformation, Barcelona City Council and Generalitat de Catalunya, Talent Arena was introduced as a way of developing people – to train, retrain, upskill, identify opportunities and progress – and help inspire change, rather than waiting for it to come about. With Talent Arena, we are creating an environment to invest in people, so that they can invest in themselves.
The event takes place at the Fira Montjuïc – the former home of MWC – which is a reminder of our roots and how we far we have come. With Fira de Barcelona’s plans for Hall Zero, Talent Arena’s first edition is just the beginning of a journey towards uniting three ecosystems at MWC 2027 – global industry leaders and policymakers, global startups and global digital talent.
It is an important part of the MWC community, joining mSchools, 4YFN and the GSMA Ministerial Programme, with a commitment to developing human talent and creating a better world where people, businesses and societies thrive.
Dedicated to shaping the future of digital talent, Talent Arena will foster connections within the professional technology sector and provide insights into the latest technology advancements. The event aims to connect corporate leaders and representatives of training institutions with world-class digital experts – including software developers, AI professionals, cloud engineers and many more – to level and then enhance the playing field for people of all ages and backgrounds, including those coming from underrepresented parts of society, so no-one is left behind.
Delving into the most prominent topics impacting the digital ecosystem, including AI, cloud computing, cybersecurity, emerging technologies and more, Talent Arena will feature a dynamic lineup of keynotes, workshops, networking sessions and more. Notably, the GSMA Open Gateway DevCon summit and hackathon, a global initiative designed to foster innovation in programmable networks using APIs, enabling participants to develop collaborative technological solutions to real-world problems.
A partnership built on mutual success
MWC Barcelona is unique in that no other event brings together high-level government ministers, industry leaders, founders, operators, startups and, now, digital talent on such a scale. With its diverse profile of attendees, our event represents the intersection of social policy, business leadership and technological innovation.
Our relationship with the city of Barcelona is a partnership built on innovation, collaboration and mutual success. This perfect marriage of MWC and Barcelona has created a tech and innovation flywheel that continues to attract top tech talent globally. At MWC25 you will find the ultimate confluence of ideas, technologies, and people who are working together to create a better world. And with Talent Arena, it unites the entire digital ecosystem, while raising Barcelona’s profile on the global business and digital policymaking stage. In short, delivering a year-round economic and social capital legacy for Barcelona, the people of Catalonia and the people of Spain.
Secure your place to attend MWC25 Barcelona now. To register for Talent Arena, click here.
Stay up to date about everything
Subscribe to stay up to date with the latest content from Mobile World Capital Barcelona.