What to Expect at MWC 2025: Unleashing the Future – Navigating the Intersection of Technology and Industry for Global Growth
In the early 2020s, business leaders everywhere debated whether in-person events would ever fully recover post-pandemic as marketers questioned their return on investment in an increasingly digital world – but love them or hate them, industry trade shows have made a resounding resurgence. It’s still big business as brands continue to show up in droves and lucrative deals are initiated on the trade show floor.
As we look ahead to one of the technology sector’s biggest meeting of minds in Barcelona on 3rd-6th March, MWC 2025 promises an action-packed agenda spanning social policy, business leadership and digital innovation, exploring how the following technologies will drive global change and influence the future of multiple industries:
Artificial intelligence (AI) and the rise of automation
Tech giants will continue to herald how increasingly sophisticated agentic AI will enable systems to operate autonomously and make decisions based on real-time data to accelerate innovation and adoption of new business models, while regulators grapple with the associated ethical implications and how to ensure the responsible deployment of AI across various sectors, including finance, healthcare and the public sector.
Advanced 5G and the path to 6G
The world is waiting to see how the next evolutionary step in 5G technology will bring new capabilities and unlock more advanced use cases for verticals – expect to hear from industry leaders about how enhanced connectivity and the commercial integration of the Internet of Things (IoT) will continue to drive real change in healthcare, smart cities, automotive and beyond as the industry looks ahead to the roll-out of 6G by 2030.
Cybersecurity challenges
As networks become more complex and interconnected, the demand for robust cybersecurity measures will grow to protect sensitive data and maintain user trust. Businesses will need to comply with increasing data protection regulations across jurisdictions, and the rise of quantum computing will prompt questions about its potential to break encryption algorithms, raising fresh concerns about data security and the future of cybersecurity.
Spotlight on sustainability
The energy consumption associated with increased use of generative AI, cloud computing and cryptocurrency mining means technology leaders will be seeking ways to reduce their carbon footprint through energy-efficient data centres and renewable energy sources. In addition, hardware businesses will reveal new strategies for managing electronic waste and promoting recycling will become more pressing.
What is abundantly clear is that the impact of new and evolving technologies continues to make a huge impact across multiple industries. The intersection of technology and other sectors will present interesting growth opportunities for international businesses in an otherwise complex and increasingly fragmented global economic climate, so we can expect more exciting news and game-changing innovations to come from global technology leaders at MWC again this year.
The FleishmanHillard team will be on the ground in Barcelona, advising and supporting several global clients on their communications strategies in real-time as developments evolve on site at MWC. If you’d like to discuss your brand’s communication needs with our technology sector experts, please reach out to [email protected] and we’d be delighted to connect.
