Holy shit. We did it.

We’ve taken over Ericsson’s booth at Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2021 – prime real estate in Barcelona. And with it we’ve got … fewer than 90 days to get ready. Fewer than 90 days for build out. Fewer than 90 days to bring together all of the disruptive forces that will be part of it. NO PRESSURE!

We know what we’re up against time-wise, and we’re working like crazy to pull together a Cloud City that’s the boldest, bravest, most kick-ass space at MWC. We’re also going to show you HOW we’re doing it by giving you the play-by-play as we confirm speakers, add to the booth, sign vendors, etc. So, keep an eye on this blog between now and June 28.

So what are we doing now?

• Building a space that’s worthy of its prime location and heritage. Ericsson may be old-school legacy, but it kept its customers coming back year after year. We’re on hallowed ground. Cloud City at MWC is for everyone who knows that public cloud is the future of telco – or is willing to find out more. It’ll amaze, educate, and inspire. It’ll show you what you need to do, which vendors you want to be friendly with, and what software and tech you’ll need to meet the demands of the subscriber of the future.
• Making room for transformative demos. Disruptive network and software vendors will be showing off all of their cool stuff in Cloud City – all the things you need to transform your business. It’ll be a space for leaders who are looking for the latest technology to be able to visit one place and see it all. Note for all you disruptive vendors out there: you can have your own space in Cloud City for free – fill out an application to join us.
• Creating a show-within-a-show to run throughout MWC. There will be technical topics, thought leadership on public cloud, success stories of operators that embraced cloud and transformed their businesses, and more.
• Paying attention to getting deals done. $65 billion of deals were done at MWC 2019. What will it be in 2021? Cloud City will include meeting spaces where executives come to network with suppliers, see new stuff, and get ready to take next steps.
• Producing a television show. Yeah, you read that right. We’re going to be working with our friends, TheCube, to produce a TV show to make sure that EVERYONE gets the chance to see and hear what’s happening in Cloud City, whether they’re there in person or virtually. It’ll be broadcast throughout MWC and available for catch-up, on-demand, online.
• Sweating the details. More headlines to come on entertainment, food and bev, and more. Journos: we haven’t forgotten about you – we’ll have a dedicated media area with all the essentials, plus cool features to make it a great place to hang out or catch up on work. And we heard you guys LOVE the coffee and the food, so we will be sure not to disappoint (feel free to give us your ideas in the comments!).

There’s no denying the pandemic has had a massive impact on the trade show experience. At the beginning of 2020, we were living in BC – Before COVID – and then suddenly MWC was the first big show to cancel last year: BC marketing plans and budgets crumbled, physical shows were out, it was a lonely time. Now, we’re moving into AC – After COVID – re-entering physical life and taking a best-of-both-worlds approach that will give you everything you need to transform your business and embrace public cloud – in one place, on display, easy to access, easy to understand, in person or virtually.

We’ve got a crazy (fewer than) 3 months ahead, and we want your ideas and feedback! We’re crowdsourcing Cloud City. We’ve opened up comments below, so send us your ideas. Tell us what you think about our plans. Can’t wait to hear from you!

Hugs and kisses,