The GSMA today announced the NFC Experience at Mobile World Congress, an interactive experience through which exhibitors, vendors, and attendees use mobile Near Field Communication (NFC) technology to exchange information and conduct transactions. The GSMA also announced several new keynote speakers for the Mobile World Congress conference programme, as well as new sponsors participating across key programmes at the event. Mobile World Congress will take place 25-28 February at Fira Gran Via in Barcelona.
“We’re excited to launch the NFC Experience for Mobile World Congress, as it provides attendees to the event the opportunity to experience first-hand the power of NFC technology both throughout the Mobile World Congress venue, as well as in the city of Barcelona,” said Michael O’Hara, Chief Marketing Officer, GSMA. “We hope that all attendees will take advantage of the many benefits of NFC, from venue access to retail transactions to transport, among others.”
New for Mobile World Congress 2013 – NFC Experience
As part of the new NFC Experience at Mobile World Congress, the GSMA will showcase an integrated range of mobile NFC services. Attendees with NFC-enabled handsets will be able to take advantage of NFC technology at locations throughout the Fira Gran Via and in the city. NFC touch points will be abundant throughout Congress, rewarding those who ‘tap’ with instant access to information such as downloads on the conference sessions and keynotes, as well as information on restaurants and tourist attractions around Barcelona itself. The NFC Experience features:
- NFC Centre – A dedicated zone in the heart of Congress Square will be one of the key locations to visit and see NFC-enabled handsets and their capabilities as well as gaining information on the NFC ecosystem, NFC smart posters, NFC partner pods and a dedicated NFC support function;
- NFC Interactive Zones – More than a dozen NFC Interactive Zones will be located along the walkways, entrances and exhibition halls of Fira Gran Via . Comprising a series of linked smart posters, attendees can use their NFC-enabled handsets to access exhibitor directories, venue information, nearby conveniences and many other useful services offered during Mobile World Congress;
- Barcelona City NFC Locations – Strategic NFC touch points will be available at the airport, key hotels, selected restaurants and central tourist locations and attendees can take a taxi and pay for goods in select shops with NFC; and
- Virtual NFC Badge – During registration, attendees with NFC-enabled handsets (Android 4 and above or Windows Phone 8 operating system) can opt into the NFC Experience and get full show entry with it and their physical badge, but without the need to repeatedly present a physical photo ID to gain access to the venue.
New Mobile World Congress Keynotes
CEOs and senior executives from companies across the mobile ecosystem and around the globe joined the keynote programme at Mobile World Congress, including:
- Xi Guohua, Chairman, China Mobile
- Dennis Crowley, Founder and CEO, Foursquare
- Marc Dillon, CEO, Jolla Mobile
- César Alierta, Executive Chairman and CEO, Telefónica
- Paul Gunning, CEO, Tribal DDB Worldwide and Global Chief Digital Officer, DDB
These executives join previously announced Mobile World Congress keynote speakers:
- Randall Stephenson, Chairman, President and CEO, AT&T
- Axel Dauchez, CEO, Deezer
- René Obermann, CEO, Deutsche Telekom
- Drew Houston, Founder and CEO, Dropbox
- Hans Vestberg, President and CEO, Ericsson
- Stephen Girsky, Vice Chairman, General Motors
- Franco Bernabè, Chairman, GSMA and Chairman and CEO, Telecom Italia Group
- Kevin Johnson, CEO, Juniper Networks
- Suk-Chae Lee, Chairman and CEO, KT Corp.
- Gary Kovacs, CEO, Mozilla
- Susan Whiting, Vice Chair, Nielsen
- Stephen Elop, President and CEO, Nokia
- Kaoru Kato, President and CEO, NTT DOCOMO
- Dr. Nasser Marafih, Group CEO, Qtel Group
- Paul Jacobs, Chairman and CEO, Qualcomm
- Talmon Marco, Founder and CEO, Viber Media
- Vittorio Colao, Chief Executive, Vodafone Group
For more information on the Mobile World Congress keynotes, as well as the full conference programme, visit www.mobileworldcongress.com/conference .