Mobile World Congress Los Angeles Event Recap

This year at MWC19 Los Angeles, the theme was intelligent connectivity, and we followed that theme with a tight schedule that utilized our limited time for strengthening existing partnerships and cultivating new ones.

This month at MWC19, GeoTraq had the opportunity to take part in the conversation around mobility and the internet of things. Demonstrating an excellent show to teamwork and dedication, our VP of Marketing, Tiffani Neilson, stepped in to speak on the panel discussion; The New Supply Chain. It was part of an all-day lecture session entitled “IoT 101: Digital Transformation University,” hosted by James Brehm & Associates.

Together with representatives from Overhaul, CalAmp, and Mobilogix, we participated in a discussion around what it takes to track assets in motion and the unexpected solutions that emerge when working with location and sensor data points. It was a great session, and we are grateful to James Brehm & Associates for inviting GeoTraq to be a part of their diverse panel of informed perspectives.

The busiest area of the show floor, by far, was the meeting rooms, a clear indication of the importance placed on developing strategic partnerships. Internet of Things technology is not developed in a vacuum and requires a full ecosystem of partners to bring IoT devices from concept to deployment.

Our chipset partner Sequans’ meeting room seemed to be a revolving door of opportunity. Even though they were quite busy, we still managed several great conversations, and appreciated their introductions and insight.

Polte, who provides the GPS-disrupting positioning technology behind our modules, also had a great show. Thanks in no small part to their recent successful round of funding, their pedometers were working overtime between their booth on the show floor and their private meeting rooms. We appreciate all of our partners and the reciprocated advocacy given to support our complementary technologies.

MWC19 was also our first event as new members of the GSMA. In addition to the members’ reception on the first night of the conference, we had a chance to visit the members’ booth on the show floor to regularly touch base with GSMA staff. We were surprised by the seamlessness of the support provided by the staff at every turn. Whenever we made a new contact or were alerted to a project that seemed like a good fit for us, the team did a stellar job of reaching out and making connections on our behalf.

During the show, Los Angeles was experiencing a week of 90-degree temperatures, which made the outdoor day events at the venues Networking Plaza a little crowded with everyone cramming into the shaded areas. But, the close-quarters invited more conversation, and we managed to meet some component providers with promising potential.

Outside of the show floor, the Women4Tech Networking Reception was very friendly with lots of forward-thinking change-makers, including the event sponsor Blue Cedar, whose CMO Shelli Strand greeted everyone at the door with a warm welcome and some great swag. Here we got a chance to chat with Vodafone about their new NB-IoT roaming deal with AT&T and some upcoming initiatives that will bring more IoT labs to the United States.

The majority of event participants and attendees were like-minded in the belief that there is more than enough room for everyone in the growing IoT industry. In these early stages, there are no off-the-shelf IoT devices for enterprise solutions. Any company interested in using IoT to shepherd them through digital transformation needs a veritable “village” of IoT partners to achieve their desired ROI. As the industry continues to ramp up, now is the time to build-out intelligent partner ecosystems and be ready for the deluge of business from every vertical once IoT solidifies itself as the go-to value generator in this new era of the digital enterprise.