Turkey eyes replace Barcelona for tech fair

BARCELONA - Anatolia News Agency

The exhibitors in the 2013 Mobile World Congress, the world’s biggest mobile fair held from Feb. 25 to 28 in Barcelona, are seen in this file photo. AFP photo

Turkey is making a bid to take over as host of the Mobile World Congress that is currently taking place in Barcelona, as the Spanish city’s contract with the organizer GSM Association (GSMA) will be over in 2018.

A Turkish delegation formed of three top Istanbul Chamber of Commerce (İTO) executives have reportedly been holding talks with organizers in Barcelona to host the congress, which gathers global technology and communication giants for three days in every last week of February. The event has been hosted by Barcelona since 2006. According to reports in Turkish daily newspapers, the delegation had a meeting with GSMA CEO John Hoffman and his team.

This year’s event ends on Feb. 28, and is being attended by around 20 Turkish technology companies, as well as the Transport Minister Binali Yıldırım. Barcelona’s governors said they expected to raise 330 million euros from the congress, the world’s largest trade fair devoted to mobile devices.

Nearly 1,500 exhibitors have gathered in Barcelona each year to present their newest technologies and most innovative products.