GSMA launches 2018 'Mobile World Congress Americas, in partnership with CTIA'

GSMA Monday announced details of the 2018 Mobile World Congress Americas including the first confirmed participating companies, exhibitors, programs and activities taking place at the event's second annual gathering. Under the theme 'Imagine a Better Future,' Mobile World Congress Americas will take place September 12-14 at the Los Angeles Convention Center. The GSMA expects that approximately 25,000 professionals and more than 1,000 companies from across the mobile industry and adjacent industry sectors will participate at Mobile World Congress Americas 2018.
'We're looking forward to the second edition of Mobile World Congress Americas and the move to Los Angeles, the entertainment capital of the world. This year's show will really illustrate how mobile is reshaping how media and content are produced and consumed,' said Michael O'Hara, Chief Marketing Officer, GSMA. 'In this digital age, mobile is essential to driving innovation, enabling creativity and advancing economic growth. Along with our partner, CTIA, we're excited to put a spotlight on how mobile is enabling a better future at Mobile World Congress Americas.'
Leading players from across the mobile ecosystem, as well as sectors such as automotive, consumer electronics, and media and entertainment, will gather to showcase the latest in mobile products, technologies and services during the three-day show. More than 1,000 companies will participate in the 2018 Mobile World Congress Americas, including major brands such as Accenture, American Express OPEN, Cox Business, Ericsson, G+D Mobile Security, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Nokia, Qualcomm, Samsung Electronics America, Samsung Networks, Sprint, Syniverse, TELUS, Verizon and ZTE, among others.
The GSMA Innovation City returns after its Americas debut in 2017 and will again enable visitors to experience technology in a day-to-day context, illustrating how mobile-connected products and services can improve lives and transform industries in areas such as automotive, healthcare, connected homes, transportation logistics and more.
Dedicated zones and pavilions throughout the exhibition will highlight all sectors of the mobile industry. New to the show floor, in the South Hall, is the IoT Zone where both established and new players in the IoT space will showcase demonstrations of current and future IoT technologies. In the West Hall, the Drone Zone also makes its debut, featuring the newest drone models and technologies. The NEXTech Zone returns to Mobile World Congress Americas exhibiting companies and innovative technologies that are driving disruption across the entire mobile ecosystem, including virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR), robotics and artificial intelligence (AI), among others.
For 2018, the GSMA will again offer the MWCA Tours, a series of topic and exhibition-focused tours to address the specific needs of different audiences at Mobile World Congress Americas. Confirmed tour topics include 5G and Network Functions Virtualization (NFV), IoT, Business Transformation and Emerging Tech.
The 2018 Mobile World Congress Americas conference program, taking place September 12-14, will explore the three main themes of Innovation; Content, Media and Entertainment; and the Fourth Industrial Revolution. The conference will include compelling keynote sessions with CEOs from across the broad mobile ecosystem and adjacent industry sectors, along with a series of sessions that will explore specific subjects in greater depth, including CTIA's 'Everything Policy' track, which focuses on trends and developments in government and public policy.
The conference will explore the intersection of mobile with content, media and entertainment. Topics will include the new all-encompassing and immersive consumer journey; the rise of AR and VR, now on the cusp of mainstream consumer adoption; the soaring costs of content budgets and competition; the demanding role of content as the new growth-engine for operators; and the scrutiny on the functions of media, social media and news media.
Designed to address and reduce the gender gap in the mobile industry, the GSMA Women4Tech program returns for 2018, running across all three days of Mobile World Congress Americas. The Women4Tech Summit is a central element of the program, featuring senior-level keynote speakers and panelists who will address ways to encourage equality in the workplace and present best practices and strategies to increase diversity in the mobile communications industry. Additional Women4Tech program activities will include a speed coaching and networking sessions and specialized Power of Diversity tour.
Youth Mobile Festival Launches in the Americas Building on its success in Barcelona, the Youth Mobile Festival (YoMo) will come to Mobile World Congress Americas for the first time. YoMo is designed to inspire a new generation in pursuing education and careers in science, technology, engineering, art and design and math (STEAM) fields. At Mobile World Congress Americas, YoMo will bring together over 100 stakeholder organizations across the STEAM sectors, including government organizations and agencies, educational institutions, professional organizations, research and development laboratories, and business and industry leaders. The festival, which is free for teachers, students and their families to attend, will attract 4,000 visitors in engaging, fun and hands-on educational experiences.