#MWC: Interesting stats for 2010

Rating: Beleive it or not, more people attended

The Mobile World Congress might have felt less crowded than in previous years, but official stats just released by the GSMA actually show that attendance was up. GoMo News calculates that a rise of some four per cent.

The exact figures for attendance were 49,000 in 2010 compared to 47,000 in 2009.

Perhaps the most impressive figure is the 20,000 or so people who visited the inaugural App Planet. This event was designed to bring together all elements of the mobile application ecosystem in one location.

Impressively, the GSMA calculates that more than 6,000 developers attended Mobile World Congress this year.

If you didn’t go, you missed application developer conferences held by Google, Motorola, RIM, Sony Ericsson, Vodafone and WIPJam held within App Planet.

The next WIPjam takes place in Las Vegas on March 22th 2010 (th day before CTIA opens). To register go here.

Talking of  Google, CEO Eric Schmidt’s keynote speech @ MWC was standing-room only. If you missed the keynote, it’s possible to view it online here www.mobileworldlive.com. Try it on your iPhone. Go, on! You’ll love the irony.

Curiously the number of C-level attendees in 2010 was 54 per cent and that figure included more than 2,800 CEOs. Yet last year [2009] exactly the same number of CEOs attended and the number of exhibitors – 1,300 – was static, too.

Sadly, for those of us who feel the event is marred by the number of muggings and thefts during MWC, the GSMA’s CEO John Hoffman has confirmed that it will be held in Barcelona until at least 2013. Bring back Cannes, GoMo News says.

For those who are curious, the GSMA adds together all delegates, exhibitors, media and contractors. In fact there were 2,400 representatives of hackdom from international print, web and broadcast organisations.