Influencers unite to discuss MWC19 Barcelona

[vc_row][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_column_text]Most people associate this time of year with autumn leaves and darker nights. However, for mobile sector specialists like myself, this time of year marks the acceleration of the annual Mobile World Congress (MWC) cycle. Preparations for MWC19 Barcelona are already under way, if we’re lucky we’ll get a short break for Christmas and activity won’t calm down until mid-March, when the dust finally settles on the show. But, what does this preparation and activity look like?

Preparing for MWC success

Over the next couple of months, my priority will be to sit down with clients for a detailed review of their commercial objectives for the show, with a view to developing and implementing communication strategies designed to meet those objectives.

From a communications standpoint, MWC provides companies with a platform to significantly raise their profile in the industry. However, PR agencies should never forget that companies attending MWC want to hold meetings, convert leads and renew relationships. They are there, first and foremost, to do business. And it’s the business of PR agencies to ensure that they make the most of their clients’ presence at the show.

We use a variety of methods to ensure our clients make their mark at MWC. Whether it’s launch events, filming spokespeople on the ground at the Fira, drafting daily blogs reflecting clients’ views on current affairs in Barcelona or managing social channels; every campaign output and every touchpoint with an influencer must be of strategic value to the client.

We do all of this besides managing packed schedules of briefings, while also facilitating awards, speaking slots, and live broadcast opportunities. And that’s just at the show itself. In the months leading up to MWC, we make sure that our clients are highly visible in trade and industry press, and business media, so that by the time they arrive in Barcelona, awareness of their brand is already high.

Any content we create for clients will ultimately drive awareness and visibility. It will shape conversations and stimulate debate; it may drive consensus or lead to debate, but it should always leave an impression. It’s down to the agency to ensure that a client is seen to be a credible and informed resource; one whose contribution to new and ongoing discussions is well received by industry peers. Clients don’t want to find themselves left out of the MWC conversation, they want to be leading it.

Just what are the media looking for at MWC?

Which brings me to the media, simply because media relations is so integral to any MWC programme. Many vendors and brands find it difficult to validate their message without media endorsement, particularly in and around an event of the size and importance of MWC19 Barcelona, where so many companies are vying for media attention.

So, just what is it that the media are looking to cover at a show like MWC? What type of information is of value to the press? Is it news? If so, what type of news is likely to get their attention? Is it informed industry comment and insight? If so, what level of insight are the press looking for? What makes a good story and how should that story be packaged?

Here at Babel, we figured that the easiest way to get answers to these questions was to go directly to the media themselves. So, we have brought together a panel of business and trade journalists, together with a well-respected industry analyst, to discuss the media agenda for MWC and how companies can best interact with influencers covering the show.

Babel will be holding a panel event at the Covent Garden Hotel on the morning of Friday, November 23^rd to give MWC attendees insight into how to best communicate with influencers covering the show. Zoe Kleinman, technology reporter at the BBC, will chair the panel discussion about what media are likely to report on at MWC19 Barcelona.

The full panel line up is as follows:

Panel chair:

• Zoe Kleinman, technology reporter, The BBC

Panel participants:

• Paul Sandle, technology correspondent, Reuters
• Julian Bright, senior analyst, Ovum
• James Pearce, deputy editor, Capacity

If you’d like to attend the event and hear the views of the panel, then please fill out the form on this page to register your place. If you have any questions, feel free to email us at mwc_event@babelpr.com.

We look forward to seeing you there![/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_column_text]

Audio of the event now available – register to listen:

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