HMD won’t be present at MWC2024
Although it happened a few months before, the largest impact on the smartphone industry was created by HMD when they showcased their reimagined Nokia phones and the new version of the legendary Nokia 3310 at MWC2017. Now, seven years later, HMD is once again attempting to make a significant impact by announcing the results of their newly presented business strategy, their own brand and partners, a day before MWC2024.
New phones and partnerships are being announced, but there is one thing that troubles me: I still can’t find HMD listed on the MWC2024 floor plan. We already have some of our team in Barcelona, scouting new material for the readers of Croatian Mob.hr, so I wanted to direct them to the HMD booth to ensure we all benefit from the firsthand experience and some hands-on photos.
However, I got info that HMD won’t be present at MWC2024 at all, no booth this time. The only thing they’ll do is announce the new strategy, but only to invited or the most interested press, since the company hasn’t openly shared the location or time of the event. What is even more worrying is that the event won’t even be streamed online.
In my opinion, this isn’t the best choice. HMD is representing themselves as Human Mobile Devices and the human part is being ignored by not being present at MWC. Also, if you are announcing a new strategy, phones under your brand and even new features, you should want to present and explain them to the global press and the general public at MWC2024. This event is the largest and most important one in the industry, second only to CES and IFA.
The reasons HMD is not at MWC2024 could most likely be financial (and Nokia doesn’t want to do anything with brand licensing directly anymore), but they might be considering taking the company offline almost completely and reducing the costs of presenting themselves at expensive events like MWC. However, this doesn’t bode well for investors and partners, as a strong presence is needed to increase their investments and multiply them.
Additionally, there is a visible trend of degradation of HMD’s presence at MWC over the years. The last time I attended before the Covid pandemic, they had a beautiful Nordic village just outside of Hall 3 where Nokia was, but last year (2023) they were in Hall 7 or 8 next to the sellers of protective covers. This year, they aren’t even participating in the event but will organize an announcement, which is important for them.
Personally, I would schedule the event after MWC in Helsinki and wouldn’t even bother coming to Barcelona. However, their investors and partners are probably present at MWC, so it is convenient to hold it during the event.
So, if you are press, contact HMD directly to get access at the event since their latest phones will not be displayed at MWC2024.
I’ve managed to arrange an interview with their CMO, Lars Silberbauer, so if you’d like to know more about the new phones or strategy, please leave your comments below, and I’ll summarize them and present them to Lars.
Disclaimer: The author’s views and opinions do not necessarily reflect the beliefs of the website or its affiliates.
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