MWC Barcelona 2013 Gives Us a Sneak Peek into the Future of NFC at Events

The Mobile World Congress, which was recently held in Barcelona, launched a major new near field communications (NFC) initiative.  It is one of the most robust roll-outs of this short-range wireless communication technology we have seen by a show organizer.

With over one million nsf of exhibition and hospitality space, MWC is the world’s largest event for the mobile industry so it is a great leading indicator of where mobile is going in the exhibition and events industry – one of the reasons we closely follow this event.

At this year’s show, as part of the new “NFC Experience“, attendees, exhibitors and vendors with NFC-enabled handsets were able to access information and conduct transactions simply by “tapping” NFC touch points at the venue and at locations around Barcelona.

The “NFC Experience” offered several features, including the opportunity for participants at the show to…

(1) Download key info and exclusive content from smart posters.

(2) Pay for taxis and food at restaurants.

(3) Download attendee and exhibitor badges and fast track through registration for the first time. See more about the NFC badge program.

What is also interesting to note is that in their post show press release they shared a key data point on usage… 10,500 attendees participated in the “NFC Experience”.

We are still very early in the NFC story. Penetration of NFC handsets is very low. As such, benefits will be limited here until scale is achieved but this will come as more and more manufacturers release NFC-enabled handsets.  When critical mass is reached, the opportunities here will be significant for event marketers. 

ENCORE TIP: If you want to stay on top of this fast-moving space and ahead of the competition, start experimenting on a small scale. Buy some NFC tags and produce some NFC media for your show.  Test it out with early adopters and see firsthand the simple form factors such as stickers, posters, etc. that NFC enables, all of the actions you can leverage with NFC, and how easy it is for people to interact with NFC touch points.

Posted on April 17, 2013