The most recent thing that was known about the holding of the Barcelona MWC 2021 is that the GSMA agreed with the Spanish authorities to exempt those attending the event, to be held between June 28 and July 1, from the entry restrictions that apply to those arriving from outside the European Union (EU). According to Mobile World Live, the Association indicated in a statement that the Ministry of the Interior of the Government of Spain will allow exhibitors, visitors, sponsors and partners to enter the country to attend in person. The GSMA explained that although there is a policy to prevent the entry of non-EU travelers, it does not apply to groups such as highly qualified workers, a category in which those attending the MWC would be included, but entry would be denied to people from countries that Spain considers high risk.
The safety plan presented by the GSMA, in collaboration with the health authorities of Catalonia, includes that attendees undergo frequent tests with the resources that the venue will have and use the myMWC application, with functions that contribute to preserving health and safety. They include contactless environments, one-way traffic flows and a greater number of medical personnel, in addition to the use of disposable FFP2 type masks and a negative test carried out no more than 72 hours before.

Will it be done anyway?

Beyond these measures, the end of June is still a long way off and no one can predict anything concrete about the evolution of the pandemic during the coming weeks and months. Ericsson, Facebook, Google, Oracle, Nokia, Sony, Microsoft, Cisco, Intel, British Telecom and LG are among the companies that, since the beginning of this year, have been giving up being physically in Barcelona. The CEO of the GSMA, John Hoffman, was confident and even suggested that fewer companies on the premises is acceptable and those who do not attend will be able to follow it virtually.
The question is what will happen if more companies decide to jump ship between now and June. Some of the arguments that justified desertions were that more than 50,000 people cannot be gathered in an event of this nature with complete safety, especially when the hope set in the vaccination rate is not materialized today as it was believed to be at this point in 2021.
There is much more at stake than what the GSMA itself puts on the table. FIRA of Barcelona, ​​one of the most important fairgrounds in Europe, reveals on its website that all its annual activity generates an economic impact of more than 4.6 billion euros in the city and its surroundings and more than 34,600 jobs, both direct and indirect. Given figures like these, the cancellation of any of your events can never be low impact.