It’s that time of year again when lots of very cool tech people head to the glorious city of Barcelona to indulge in some of their many passions - mobile technology, culture, fiestas, football, tech merchandise and well, anything else that Barcelona has to offer. Yes, it’s time for the GSMA Mobile World Congress! The city becomes a playground for those with the sought after special entry passes, and we’re going to be there too, making the most of every minute alongside our mates from Telmap!
With so much going on over the course of MWC it’s easy to get a bit confused, befuddled and lost amidst all of the excitement. We know - we’ve heard more than a few fantastic stories from past delegates. From failing to find hotels due to dodgy sat nav and directions or getting lost for hours in the Raval while looking for the Sant Antoni metro station, getting trapped by a tourist restaurant and being forced to eat horrendously overpriced and less-than-authentic paella, and even missing out on some of the fabulous Gaudi landmarks just because of nerves surrounding travelling from the MWC central location, there are certainly lots of perils for delegates that can make attending the MWC a less than enjoyable experience.
What we all need to do to make the most of the few days we are in Barcelona, is become a local! Or at least get the inside scoop so we manage to avoid getting lost or any tourist traps and explore the best that Barcelona has to offer. Obviously, the fun only starts AFTER we’ve worked hard, made the most of the exhibitions and learned a lot.......
Moving on swiftly...Understanding these challenges as fellow delegates is why we’ve created a version of M8 - available in both English and Spanish - specifically for those of you heading to the Mobile World Congress!
Attending GSMA MWC - being held this year at shiny new Fira Gran Via - will be made much easier with this tailor made M8. The app - available on iPhone, Android and BlackBerry Touch devices - encourages attendees to explore the Mobile World Congress using their mobile devices, while offering the familiar and much loved M8 user experience.
The app will enable you to find local restaurants with reviews and table booking, find hotels and make reservations, bag some nearby special offers, check-in via Facebook, discover the different areas and cultural quarters of Barcelona through the integrated of leading local travel guides, and navigate by car or on foot to wherever you want to go ¿Perfecto, no?
Getting around MWC is going to be easy as pie and we’re including a dedicated MWC widget within the M8 homescreen so you don’t even have to search for it! From this widget, attendees and exhibitors are provided with access to valuable information including an indoor map of the exhibition, a complete directory of all exhibitors, taxis, metro stations and the essential ATM finder. 
Just as we offer in the UK, we’ve integrated the best local content for those of you attending MWC - well there’s no point including the UK information now, is there?! The dedicated M8 for MWC app is loaded with some of the coolest, most recognized and reliable content providers in Spain.
M8 at MWC includes:
• Paginas Amarillas - a comprehensive business directory for local search around Barcelona
• El Tenedor - find the best places for tasty meals with this premiere restaurant guide with reviews/ratings & table booking service
• HRS - familiar with lots of you this is the Hotel Reservation Services where you can find, learn about and book hotels
• Coupies - search and grab local deals & coupons nearby and redeem them from within M8
• TripAdvisor and Lonely Planet - you know the score here, they’re travel guides packed with Barcelona information, points of interest and even nightlife suggestions
As always, you’ll find us on Twitter @localm8 and on Facebook and we’ll be sure to share everything we get up to while we’re in Barcelona for the MWC!
Vamos a Barcelona!
M8 Mobile World Congress Edition | Download Links:
Download M8 MWC for BlackBerry Touch Devices
Catch us here:
Hall 3, booth #3 C34
Hall 8.1 (App Planet), booth # 8.1 E20
By Telmap Mate