Making the most of conferences through fringe activations – Mobile World Congress 2025
March 19, 2025
Mobile World Congress 2025 gave the telecoms and mobile industry another chance to flex its muscles – and this year the Asia and Middle East market was stealing the show. Discussions in and around the show floor focussed on business growth, marking a change from previous years where the agendas honed in on ESG.
Though the content and businesses present may have changed from year to year, MWC remains one of the most significant events for the industry and trying to get your voice heard is easier said than done. Simply attending isn’t enough, you need to cut through the noise.
Creating your own fringe event is a sure-fire way to garner media attention, level up new business meetings and give existing clients some love – but only when done creatively and effectively. Here’s how to create a fringe event that packs a punch and leaves a lasting impression:
It’s all in the idea
It may sound mind-numbingly obvious, but having a great idea or topic is essential. Obvious though it might be, many fringe activations fall short and parrot the discussions happening on the main stage. So, how do you create a topic that can capture interest and engage attendees?
- Scour the agenda: Identify key themes and topics that will dominate the conference. Rather than mirroring these, find the white spaces where your brand can add fresh insight or explore underrepresented perspectives, in many instances the niche is far more powerful.
- Don’t just jump on trends: Everyone knows AI is the hot topic, but does an event really need ANOTHER panel or fireside chat on it? Only approach these topics if you have something new to add, insights or research to share.
- Create genuine provocation: Fringe events should spark lively conversations, not serve as extended sales pitches. Encourage debate, pose challenging questions, and allow room for industry leaders to voice contrasting opinions. You can position your spokespeople as thought leaders – which is key if high profile journalists are attending.
- Make it culturally relevant: This ties in with creating provocation – you can’t ignore the big conversations of the times, even if they are deemed controversial. Making room within the topic to discuss politics, society and culture, will create a far more compelling narrative – and event.
Building Hype
You’ve developed a strong concept. That’s step one. Now you need attendees. How do you get people in the room?
- Gauge pre-event media interest: Using your concept, craft hard-hitting thought leadership to pitch to key titles to reach your audience. Securing and publishing ahead of time gets your brand in front of decision makers.
- Bring big brands onboard: Lean on your account teams to secure attendance from big brand names on your roster. Having these names enables your PR team to hook the interest of media outlets.
- Secure a top-tier media partner: Bringing in a journalist from a top-tier publication to co-host will attract your new business prospects – helping lead to beneficial conversations and new business leads.
- Newsletters and socials: Use your owned media effectively by understanding what attendees want to see – they want big brand names and media partners – and weave this throughout your owned content to build anticipation for the event.
Remaining Memorable Post-Event
The best activations don’t end when the event does, they continue making an impact in the weeks that follow.
- Media amplification: With the stellar idea you’ve created, make sure to follow up with journalist attendees to gauge interest in subsequent briefings or round-up articles.
- Social media follow up: Use the content and images you have for impactful social content, and spread it over a few weeks. Take quotes from your spokespeople for LinkedIn graphics, post-event roundups and make sure your spokespeople are pushing content from their personal pages.
- Follow up on new business leads: Your PR team can get you in the right room with the right people, but it’s up to you to capitalise on those conversations. Follow up on any warm leads and soft pitches to maximise your investment in the event.
Every year, conferences like MWC offer enormous opportunities to businesses and brands, but making sure you get your money’s worth can be difficult. Fringe activations, with just a little more investment, can provide a way to break through the noise, connect with new business prospects and secure media attention beyond the conference halls.
By Leo Hodges