The IFA was proud to attend the Mobile World Congress held in Barcelona from February 27 to March 1, 2012. The France stand made waves among visitors, thanks to its modern and welcoming design that provided the venue for countless meetings and contacts for the 130 companies it accommodated. On display were the latest technological innovations in mobile applications, smartphone games, tablets and Wi-Fi network standards.
The France Pavilion at the MWC 2012
Our teams at this gigantic exhibition were able to answer questions from entrepreneurs about investment opportunities in France, and feedback from the event was very positive and encouraging. A large number of the people we met appreciated France’s efforts to optimize tax rules for foreign companies established in France, as well as R&D incentives, with France’s research tax credit receiving particular interest.
Galaxy Note, the new mini-tablet from Samsung
The Chinese group Huawei1 made a splash at the event with a huge promotional effort to boost its presence, involving the launch of new models, an exclusive evening, and a giant statue of Pegasus made from 3,500 of Huawei’s “Ascend” smartphone, including several of the Ascend P1 S model, the “thinnest smartphone in the world”.
Huawei’s statue of Pegasus at the MWC 2012
The Mobile World Congress lived up to its promises with impressive stands from the likes of Google-Android, Samsung, Nokia and Blackberry, where visitors were able to discover the fun of the very latest models. The event was also a chance for certain startups to make themselves known on the international stage and to promote their products in a global market.
The Google-Android stand at the MWC 2012
1 Huawei has been doing business in France since 2003, employing 600 people across the country at its four sites (Lannion in Brittany, and Cergy-Pontoise, Issy-les-Moulineaux and Boulogne-Billancourt in the Paris region).
