The organizers behind the MWC 2020 (Mobile World Congress) in Barcelona have come forward offering refunds or discounts to future events to the thousands of expected attendees and companies that had previously paid for the conference before its eventual cancelation.
For those unaware, the MWC is the world’s largest mobile technology conference. It brings big names from the industry to showcase their innovation or advancements and attract crowds in the thousands. Unfortunately, the event was canceled earlier this year due to fears of the Coronavirus outbreak. Look back at it now, the move was probably a smart decision to protect its organizers and attendees. However, the conference doesn’t operate for profit and had trouble issuing refunds, especially to OEMs that paid hefty sums for spots on the event.
This also marked the first time in 33 years that the event has to ever be scrapped. Many smartphone brands lost a major stage for their respective launch events and technological showcases. Similarly, tens of millions of dollars were also spent on the exhibition which had more or less been wasted, since advertising expenditure cannot be returned. Previously, it was reported that discounts were unlikely to be given out because of the losses incurred, but now it seems that fundings have been rerouted.
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According to a statement from the organizer, GSMA will be offering a full refund on the ticket costs for the attendees. In other words, a 799 EUR ($865) basic admission pass will be sent to the many customers. For the large OEMs, however, the GSMA plans on incentivizing discounts on attending the event in future years as an alternative to refunding large sums outright. A few of the major brands have already expressed their desires to share the stage again next year, so the strategy might be effective for the trade body.
Big names can now receive a credit worth 125% of what they had initially invested in for the MWC 2020 in Barcelona. This sum can be be used to gain a 65% discount for next year and 35% and 25% in the subsequent years respectively. Additionally, GSMA has also offered a separate plan that will allow immediate refund claims for up to 50% of original spending, but only up to $178,000. Needless to say, its a strategy to actively include participation in next year’s event.
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(Via)
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