“Don’t Stray Into the Realm of Generic Gimmicks, Instead Promote Genuine, Relevant Interaction with Your Brand”

We were privileged to have the opportunity to ask Sarah Wiggin, VP of Sales at GSMA, her opinion on the hottest industry topics, in the wake of a hugely successful MWC 2025.

With attendance levels up at pre-covid figures (109,000), 50% of which were director level or above, MWC 2025 had a tangible buzz. It remains an event where business gets done and annual pipelines are built. So, how are brands telling complex tech stories while maintaining a human element? How is ROI being measured and what’s next in the world of events?

Tech in experiences

Hosting some of the biggest names in tech and showcasing products at the forefront of innovation means there’s a need to tell sometimes complicated product and brand stories. When we asked Sarah how tech can help with this she responded: “Demos, demos, demos! Explaining how connectivity is changing the way we work, live and do business is really important. Exhibitors are teaming up with their partners, clients and end users to showcase their technology in action in a practical way.”

Examples of real life use cases referenced by Sarah were a car in Sweden being remotely driven live at MWC (a collaboration between Nokia and Elmo Remote), drones using the 5G network  (a collaboration between Nokia and Telefónica), AI agents coordinating tasks involving multiple complex actions and platforms all from a single input (e.g. Honor’s first Agentic AI Smartphone) and Vodafone’s Sensing API demo which illustrated how their technology provides capabilities to not only detect surrounding objects but also accurately identify them.

With AI having been on the scene for nearly three years now, and advancing at an ever increasing pace, Sarah said, “AI is everywhere once again - in the recent past the focus has been on LLM and how these can be used by companies to recreate human voice. But this year it's all about Agentic AI, how it can be used to anticipate needs, perform complex tasks and make autonomous decisions. The speed of innovation in this industry is amazing.”

It’s a delicate balance between utilising tech in brand experiences and maintaining an authentic human connection with your audience. Sarah's advice is, “It’s important that exhibitors don’t stray into the realm of generic gimmicks, a booth needs to promote genuine, relevant interaction with your brand. This year we’ve seen a lot of content being delivered on stands in small focused theatre presentations which promote interaction and networking.”

Sustained engagement

Events are considered critical for delivering ROI by 68% of marketers (source: Impact XM). However, historically, it’s been a challenge for marketers to justify their budgets and prove ROI through effective measurement techniques.

When asked what makes a successful event, Sarah’s response was, “Primarily how many leads your booth generates, along with how many meetings take place. Brand awareness is also key - so how much PR you generate, how many social media impressions you make, and whether your followers increase as a result of the show is also a good measure.”

Events are rising in importance within the marketing mix, with global spend on events predicted to be $1.75 BN by 2032 (source: CMI). But, by their very nature they’re a moment in time, so how can exhibitors ensure they’re maximising their investment and creating sustained engagement?

Sarah’s take on this is that exhibitors need to ensure they have a plan for pre, during and post show engagement. The booth is just one element - building the story through newsletters, the event app, digital media, social and speaking opportunities in the lead up to an event is important. Exhibitors should utilise digital content to amplify beyond the show - having a social media plan is key to the event’s success, especially for a tech event like MWC.

The evolution of B2B experiences

With 21% C-Suite attendance, MWC has an influential audience, which shows in the booth design - spaces are high end, creating a hospitality and meeting environment that is suited to VIP professionals. Exhibitors are also organising and running VIP tours ensuring that the right staff are greeting and hosting the right delegations to maximise sales opportunities.

Given MWC sold out this year, the new Hall 0 can’t come quickly enough and Sarah expects it to be ready for use in 2027, with pent up demand from 2026. When asked what her predictions are for the live channel for the remainder of 2025, Sarah stated: “I think sustainability will become key in building a stand. Exhibitors don’t want to be seen as wasteful and are becoming more savvy in how this impacts their image. We run a donation room for furniture and electronic displays to go to local schools and charities. And we now partner with Global Factor to offer a complimentary environmental impact survey to help exhibitors reduce their carbon footprint.”