REPORT
''It’s great for the Mobile World Congress to seek out novelty, but we also need to consider technologies that promised radical changes and are no longer with us,'' commented Aleix Valls, CEO of Mobile World Capital Barcelona and Managing Director of 4YFN, at a session organised by the ESADE Alumni Marketing Club. The event also featured the participation of Lluís Marquina, Director and Host of Generació digital on TV3; Rubén Buenvarón, Chief Strategy Officer at MediaCom; Fabian Simmer, Digital Officer at SEAT; and Marc Cortés, Partner and General Manager at RocaSalvatella and Academic Assistant in the Department of Marketing Management at ESADE. The guest speakers reviewed the highlights of the latest Mobile World Congress (MWC).
Aleix Valls noted that 5G technology – ''something no one was talking about last year'' – was a highlight of the recent MWC. ''That makes you wonder about the spectrum needed to deploy high-speed networks [since 5G technology requires the installation of new equipment and antennas].'' He also observed that ''there was very little wearable technology'', adding: ''The challenge is finding a way to monetise virtual reality and address the lack of business.'' He also declared: ''The Internet of Things has become the Internet of ‘Stupid’ Things and has migrated to services rather than things.'' Finally, Mr. Valls turned his attention to the so-called Appocalypse, declaring: ''The app boom is over.''
Marc Cortés, Academic Assistant at ESADE and Partner and General Manager at RocaSalvatella, criticised the theme of this year’s MWC (''The Next Element''). According to Mr. Cortés, ''It’s a theme that says a lot but doesn’t contribute anything.'' He also cast doubt on the innovation on display at the event, noting: ''One of the star products presented this year was the Nokia 3310.''
Mr. Valls and Mr. Cortés both highlighted the growing importance of 4 Years From Now (4YFN), the entrepreneurship-oriented portion of the MWC. This year, ESADE took its campus to 4YFN, becoming the first business school to teach classes for its students at the MWC.
Rubén Buenvarón, Chief Strategy Officer at MediaCom, highlighted ''the value of data'' on display at this year’s MWC. Fabian Simmer, Digital Officer at SEAT, mentioned the connected vehicle and artificial-intelligence technologies exhibited at the MWC.
The session was moderated by Mauro Ribó, President of the ESADE Alumni Marketing Club.
Programme
The ESADE Alumni Marketing Club is pleased to invite you to ''The Best of the Mobile World Congress'', a summary of the main new products and trends at the MWC from different marketing outlooks.
Speakers:
Aleix Valls, CEO Mobile World Capital Barcelona
Lluís Marquina, Director and Presenter of the TV3 programme ''Generació Digital''.
Rubén Buenvarón, Chief Strategy Officer, Mediacom
Marc Cortés (MBA 99), Partner and Managing Director, RocaSalvatella. Academic assistant in ESADE’s Department of Marketing Management
Fabián Simmer, Digital Officer, SEAT
Chaired by
Mauro Ribo (Lic&MBA 94), President of the ESADE Alumni Marketing Club
See you there!
For further information:
clubmarketing@alumni.esade.edu
Language: Spanish
