Mobile World Congress (MWC) brings together most of the world's mobile technology industry leaders under one huge roof. This year, the show coincided with one of the coldest winters Europe has seen in years.
Snow fell on the Fira Gran Via conference facility in Barcelona this week, as hundreds of thousands of people rushed around the venue to experience the latest in mobile innovation.
Last year, 108 000 visitors from 208 countries and territories worldwide traipsed through the conference halls and the event hosted more than 2 300 exhibitors. No official numbers have been released for 2018 yet, but are set to exceed last year.
Every year, the GSMA, which puts the conference together, comes up with innovative ways to keep visitors entertained. This year, there were stationary bikes that people could ride to charge their smartphones or tablets.
Hundreds of little Android pins were dotted around the conference venue at select Google-partner stands. Attendees could collect a map from the Android stand, which occupied an outside area between halls, and go on a 'treasure hunt' through the various halls that cover an exhibition floor space of 400 000m2.
Connected cars were a large part of the show, with vendors showing off what a 5G-enabled car will be able to do in the not too distant future.
BMW offered rides in a fully autonomous vehicle, but had to halt operations on day two of the conference as the rain posed a safety risk. During the ride, attendees were driven in the back seat of the car around a small pen with no one sitting in the driver's seat.
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