The number of Mobile World Congress attendees plummeted this year, as people slowly trickle back to in-person events. About 20,000 people attended the annual trade show in Barcelona this year, down from the usual 100,000 or so attendees in prior years.
Last year's event was canceled because of COVID-19 travel concerns and restrictions, and this year's show was postponed by a few months because of the ongoing threat of the pandemic.
Organizers had anticipated people would return to the event this year, with as many as 50,000 attendees expected to show up. But pandemic-related concerns appear to have held potential attendees back, with only about 5,000 people traveling from outside of Spain to attend the conference, according to Light Reading.
The GSMA, which organizes the show, called the drop-off a "shift" and is looking to bounce back for its 2022 show, which will be held sometime in late February or early March.
Climate TRACE's data show emissions at the facility-level.Image: Climate TRACE