Due to the very dangerous Coronavirus situation ravaging China and other parts of the world, GSMA had to cancel MWC 2020. It wasn’t easy to cancel the entire event. However, the cancellation became inevitable as many major companies started pulling out for safety reasons. GSMA is a non-profit organization thus the fees help cover the costs associated with the administration. Now that the event is no longer holding, what happens to the fees?
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GSMA recently sent email notifications to some exhibitors. It states that regarding the participation fees, it will respond by March 31st latest. According to GSMA, the current situation was unprecedented thus it needs some time to assess the full impact and agreeing on a solution. “Please be patient as we resolve these situations, this is our main concern at the moment-we expect to reply to you by March 31, 2020, at the latest.”
Sometime last week, GSMA, the organizer of MWC 2020, officially announced the cancellation of MWC 2020. However, GSMA did not mention the issue of participation fees at that time. MWC’s participation fee varies depending on the area of the booth, ranging from more than $14,000 to over $14 million. Last year, MWC made about $500 million from participation fees.
What about the companies supplying the stand builders etc. I should have been going to MWC but I’m now on short working hours due to the money invested getting ready for the show.