Why we are unable to attend this year
Update 5 July 2021: MWC21 has concluded and you can see our summary of the event in MWC21: What new devices were announced?.
Next week marks the start of Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2021.
We’ve been regular attendees to the event since 2012 (feel free to browse our previous MWC blogs), but as we all know, times have been a little different recently. This year, we’ve decided not to attend the MWC event in Barcelona.
What caused this decision?
As much as we want an all-expenses-paid trip to Barcelona (and trust us, we want nothing more than to visit somewhere else!) COVID-19 has changed our plans.
While it seems that the pandemic has improved enough to allow for an in-person event, there are other restrictions that would impact our business.
From our starting point in the UK, we can get to Spain relatively hassle-free. But once we return to the UK from Spain, we would need to pay for multiple COVID-19 tests and spend 10 days in quarantine. These 10 days would take away valuable resources as our team would be out of action during the quarantine period.
As such, we decided it would be best for 51Degrees to follow the MWC21 news online, and to continue working hard on our exceptional real-time data services.
The additional 10 days of mandatory quarantine means my colleagues and I would be away from work until 12 July 2021, which is unfortunately not justifiable. We look forward to following the event online, and we wish everyone a safe and happy Mobile World Congress 2021. James RosewellCEO and Co-Founder, 51Degrees
What next?
As always, the safety of our team is our highest priority. If the current restrictions are lifted, we may attend other events later this year. In the meantime, we will continue to be reachable from the comfort of our own homes! Book a chat with us over a virtual cup of joe.