Do telecoms journalists plan on attending MWC 2022?

The question of whether key telecoms media will attend MWC Barcelona 2022 at the same levels as pre-covid, or instead report on it from the sidelines as many did this year, is an important one for companies planning their PR and marketing strategies for the show.

Babel spoke to journalists from a selection of international telecoms publications – Light Reading, TelecomTV, The Mobile Network, Telecoms.com, Mobile Europe, Fierce Wireless, Vanilla Plus, RCR Wireless, Computer Weekly and Mobile News – about their plans for MWC 22.

Do you plan on attending MWC 2022?

MWC Barcelona 21 understandably had a low turnout. Of the publications we’ve spoken to as part of this research, only RCR Wireless and The Mobile Network attended the event. It’s therefore great to see that the vast majority of telecoms journalists plan on attending the show in person next year. Nobody we spoke to said they were definitely not going.

If you want to build relationships with journalists that will help you convert your news and view into coverage, MWC remains the best place to do it. But with the expected return of many companies to the show this year, you need to think about what your messages will be and the topics you will be discussing in order to stand out and grab the media’s attention.

What topics are journalists most looking forward to exploring at MWC 2022?

We asked journalists to select up to three topics they’re most looking forward to discussing at MWC next year. Unsurprisingly, ‘5G development’ or a similar 5G-related phrase came top amongst journalists. It’s an extremely broad topic, and with the acceleration of 5G SA roll-outs and open strategies to network development, we are likely to see the narrative evolve next year. So, you need to consider how you can add to this budding discussion. What does your company do that’s unique and that’s enabling the evolution of 5G beyond what is being discussed today?

Conversations about telco cloud strategies, and particularly the public cloud, have increased exponentially over the past year as telcos explore alternative approaches to building out their cloud and edge infrastructure. It’s no surprise to see this as one of the most popular topics journalists will want to cover. If your technology gives you license to wade in on the discussion of telco cloud/public, make sure you have your messaging finessed in time for MWC.

When planning your key messages for MWC, it’s always important to tie them into what journalists want to discuss, as they can help amplify those messages to your target audiences.

What aspect of attending MWC do journalists enjoy the most?

With a huge range of interesting speaking sessions, keynotes, products and solutions on show, it will be music to the ears of many companies that journalists value executive meetings more than anything else at MWC. Need an excuse to get your key execs to the show? There it is.

However, something we get told a lot by our journalist friends is that they don’t just want to hear your executive’s views on your latest product launch or upgrade; what they really value is unique and interesting views on the biggest trends in the industry.

It’s no surprise that one of the journalists we spoke with pointed out that we should have made ‘parties’ an option in this question – as it was indeed one of their favourite reasons for going to MWC. Have you got your booth drinks planned for the show? A briefing with a journalist followed by numerous drinks is always a good way to build relationships – not that we’d advocate drinking on the job!

Now’s the time to engage with a PR agency that can help you find your voice at MWC, and create differentiated messages and views on the hottest issues in telecoms. MWC 22 is the time to leverage those face-to-face media opportunities that have been few and far between over the past two years.