As they say, there’s no rest for the wicked, and just five months since the end of MWC Barcelona 2024, we find ourselves readying for the upcoming MWC Barcelona 2025 speaker submissions deadline.
In the last 30+ years, we’ve helped many of our mobile and telecoms clients get on stage at the industry’s most prestigious event, so here are five tips to help you and your teams nail the submission process.
1. Think about the bigger picture
This may seem like an obvious tip, but MWC submissions should not solely focus on what your organisation is passionate about. Think about the wider ecosystem; how are you contributing to the innovation we’re seeing in the industry? How are you working with partners to push the frontier of mobile and telecoms? Importantly, how are you helping your customers, and coincidentally, their customers? What difference are you making?
Spend 200 words talking about how great your organisation is and the upgrades you’ve made to a router, chip or BSS solution, and you’ll struggle to get past the automated “no, thank you” email from the GSMA.
2. Use the show’s themes to guide you
Each year the GSMA team reveal the themes for the show ahead. They typically span network services and infrastructure, such as 5G SA, innovation such as AI, and vertical applications (think fintech, manufacturing, automotive etc.). This year’s themes are: 5G Inside, Connect X, AI+, Enterprise Reinvented, Game Changers, and our Digital DNA.
Bear these in mind when thinking about your submissions. How does your story fit into the themes? You will make the team’s job harder if yours is a good story that has no relevance to the event agenda and themes.
3. Bring partners and customers along
The team responsible for selecting speakers is a small one—they have the important responsibility of representing the entire ecosystem, and making the event agenda as engaging, relevant, and innovative as possible. This is no easy feat, so help them. By suggesting customers or partners that you can bring along on stage with you can help to make the show what it is. Of course, having a willing partner is easier said than done, but in our experience, it can really bring a vendor’s story to life.
4. Diversity matters
Each year, the GSMA strives to present an inclusive and diverse panel of speakers. This year, they’re looking for a 50:50 gender split. In an industry that is heavily male-dominated, that’s no easy ask. Using the speaker process to spotlight diverse talent, particularly at the C-suite level, can be a powerful way to gain an advantage over others. While we’re not talking about tokenism over meritocracy, we can only help the industry become more diverse by showing off the wide array of talent that exists across organisations.
5. Get to know the team doing the selecting
Nothing quite beats good old-fashioned relationship building. Knowing the team behind the selection process, what their interests are, and what kind of show they’re keen to put on is an important part of nailing the submissions.
Having worked closely with the content team for 15+ years, we know exactly what makes them tick, and the speakers and stories that interest them. These relationships have helped us secure over 100 speaking slots for our clients over the years, from the smallest vendors to large operators like BT and EE.
If you’d like to find out more about the MWC Barcelona speaker process and how we can support you at the show, get in touch today.
