And then it will be compared to their estimated spend from the previous years. Why?

Because while MWC is open to the public and, given some thought, anyone can attend, it's very much a trade show to try and get not just your new devices, but also your company in front of as many people as possible. It's a very challenging environment, and press departments will be doing their best to get more coverage than the competition.

But there's a certain amount of escalation every year. Each year a company needs to do a little bit more than last year. They need to do a little bit more than what they did as a company. They need to do a little bit more than the other companies in previous years; and second guess what the competitors will do this year.

It would also help if they spent less money (there is a recession on, you know) and didn't go over the top in any fancy promotions.

Imagine what the story would be if a company had a visibly smaller presence at MWC this year. With people looking for stories beyond the press releases, a simple one would be “why are 'company X' spending less money this year? Are they feeling the pinch?”

While the talk will be of co-operation and sharing, just under the surface will be companies fighting tooth and claw to maximise their visibility and resulting sales, while making sure they don't put their foot in it. Journalists (like us!) will pounce on new facts and details to make their coverage stand out from the rest, almost replicating the issues that the companies have in coming out of MWC in pole position in the minds of the public.

So why have MWC at all? Companies have to spend money just to keep up with the competition; product schedules and marketing are handed arbitrary dates to be ready for; journalists and commentators have little choice but to cover the event, otherwise they'll get left behind; it seems the only winners are the hoteliers around Barcelona and the people hiring out A/V equipment in the region.

These events are partly tradition and, while traditions do die off, MWC is guaranteed a place on the calendar. For all the problems, a company that gets it just right will get a huge press boost from the event – a lot of eyes are looking at Palm and their new Pre as dark horses for “Best Phone At Show 2009” against the Nokia N97 – although note those phones are pre-announced and the expectation is for more models to be announced by every company.

It's also a chance for many of those driving innovation inside these companies to get out from behind the desk and get into the same space as their equals. The chats and discussions over a quiet Gin and Tonic are just as strategic as the set piece press calls. It may be at a corporate level, it may be at a more personal level, but the politics of the smartphone world are on show at MWC as well – and it is a veritable House of [Sim] Cards...

It's all about gaining an edge and gaining just a little bit more than your competiition. MWC is a chance to make a real difference for a company. In that sense, the press releases, mobile devices and announcements are actually the secondary story.

MWC is all about the companies putting themselves on show, and knowing that they'll be judged by everyone else.

-- Ewan Spence, Feb 2009.