We’re less than two weeks away from the biggest mobility event of the year, the annual celebration of all-things mobility. Mobile World Congress 2016 promises to be full of cool new tech, mobile reveals and huge industry names (well, hi, Zuck). If you’re heading to Barcelona, I’m breaking MWC down into the top 10 things you need to experience—five just for fun and five can’t-miss business mobility events.
Not in Barcelona? Keep reading below for opportunities to get in the action virtually.
5 Just for Fun
1. Mark Zuckerberg’s keynote. The founder and CEO of Facebook (and now the world’s most popular dad) is slated to once again take the main stage at MWC. Maybe this year we’ll finally get that Facebook announcement we’ve all been waiting for.
*** All keynote sessions from MWC 2016 will be streamed live this year. Check out www.mobileworldlive.com.
2. Innovation City. Two thousand square feet of mobility, this futuristic mobility carnival will showcase the foremost innovations in mobility. We’re looking most forward to experiencing the impact of connectivity on every day life, from connected cars to connected farmers. Learn more here.
3. New toys. We’re all slightly giddy to see what cool new tech will be revealed this year. Particularly looking forward to Samsung’s huge Feb. 21 party, especially since their new tech has stolen the MWC show for the past two years. If you’re not making the trip, check out Samsung’s official live stream page here.
4. Global Mobile Awards. The Oscars of mobile, the GMAs each year feature the best and brightest in mobility and innovation for the previous years. Top “Glomo Award” categories include best mobile services, social and economic development, best mobile apps, best mobile tech and more. Learn more here.
5. Internet of Things. MWC’s IoT page barely teases what will be displayed in this massive pavilion, which is new to the 2016 exhibition. And that makes it even more exciting. What new, crazy and amazing IoT innovations will be unveiled this year?
5 for Business Mobility
6. Digital Workspace. VMware EVP and general manager Sanjay Poonen takes the stage to break down the next era of work and provide technology innovation insights for the enterprise. From the session description:
“The digital workspace is the defining model for end-user computing in the mobile cloud era, securely delivering anytime, anywhere access to any application to any device including desktops, smartphones and tablets. This session will provide strategic guidance to the major trends shaping the market and how VMware is delivering innovation and market leadership across desktop, mobile and cloud infrastructure solutions, making the digital workspace a reality.
When and where: Wednesday, Feb. 24, 10:00-11:00, DGW 1
7. Workplace of Things. VMware End-user Computing CTO Shawn Bass takes on IoT in the enterprise in “Why CIOs Should Care about the Internet of Things.” From the session description:
“While experts agree that IoT will have the biggest impact on IT since cloud computing, it is hard to grasp how IT could support this when machines start communicating and sharing information with each other. For all its promise, there is some serious work that needs to be done to realize the connected future that will deliver smarter business innovation.”
When and where: Monday, Feb. 22, 13:00-14:00, Session ID IOT1.
8. Enterprise Mobility Roundtable. Five CIOs and c-level IT leaders share their biggest priorities, hurdles and learnings in their journey to business mobility. Moderated by Nick McQuire from CCS Insight, it promises to be an eye-opener for attendees journeying towards mobility in their businesses. More details here.
When and where: Tuesday, Feb. 23, 15:15-16:15, Hall 4 Auditorium 2
9. Unifying mobility management. VMware AirWatch’s Blake Brannon breaks down “Digital Workspace and Unified Endpoint Management.” From the session description:
“The growth of smartphones and tablets, along with the burgeoning smart device market is creating a burden of cost and complexity in how these devices can be managed. The digital workspace is changing all of this, eliminating independent silos of desktops, smartphones and tablets, while paving the way for efficient management of the Internet of Things. Learn how you can tap into the power of the digital workspace to achieve the long-sought goal of integrated endpoint management all from a single platform. “
When and where: Monday, Feb. 22, 17:30-18:00, DGW 2
10. Enabling the smart workforce. IBM, Bigtincan, Samsung, AT&T and VMware leaders convene to talk about the tech strategy (security, infrastructure, devices, software, management, etc.) that go into enabling the workforce with smarter technology. From the session description:
“Employees now expect the flexibility that mobile solutions provide to enable a 21st century work/life balance. It is a key element of recruitment and employee retention. Businesses are looking far beyond productivity applications to unified communications, M2M, cloud and full service solutions across all device types, operating systems and things, for organizational and service efficiencies.”
When and where: Wednesday, Feb. 24 15:15-16:15, Hall 4 Auditorium 4
We’ll be live tweeting via @AirWatch and sharing the biggest news from MWC while it happens on the EUC Blog. What are you looking most forward to at MWC? And what events do you want to see our bloggers report during the big event?
