According to media reports, the organizer of the Mobile World Congress (MWC) “Global System for Mobile Communications” (GSMA) confirmed that MWC will be canceled due to “force majeure”. MWC is the largest exhibition in the global telecommunications industry. It was suppose to hold in Barcelona, āāSpain, from February 24 to 27, 2020. However, after considering safety and the pulling out of major companies, GSMA announced on February 13 that it is canceling the MWC 2020 conference.
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MWC 2020 – GSMA gives official reply regarding participation fees
As for the exhibition fee, GSMA stated in an email that the current situation is unprecedented and cannot be insured. Therefore, it is unavoidable to spend some time assessing the full impact and agreeing on a solution. GSMA also said at the time that it will respond by March 31, 2020, at the latest.
Today, GSMA responded saying that āunprecedented and cannot be insuredā means thatĀ no refunds will be given to exhibitors.Ā GSMA wrote in an email to the exhibitor: “Due to force majeure, we will not provide a refund in accordance with our Standard Terms and Conditions for Exhibitions, Advertising, and Sponsorship, Article 21.10.”
GSMA also said: “As an NGO and the convener of the entire industry and related ecosystems, these situations have a very significant financial impact on GSMA. We appreciate your understanding and patience.”
In addition, GSMA also expressed the hope that exhibitors can wait patiently. This is because GSMA will make some suggestions that may mitigate the potential impact of the cancellation of MWC. It hopes to maintain a good relationship with MWC’s business partners. GSMA plans to announce further details at the end of March.
MWCās participation fee varies depending on the area of āāthe booth, ranging from more than $14,000 to over $14 million. Last year, MWC made about $500 million from participation fees. Instead of complete forfeiture, it will make sense if this fee is used for a subsequent MWC event.
