Due to the impact of COVID-19, I hesitated to participate this year, but ultimately decided to take the plunge. The event turned out to be a great success, far beyond my expectations!
It seemed like people from all over the world were in attendance.
Interestingly, while Japanese representation was scarce, the presence of Korean and Chinese companies was remarkable.
The journey to the venue was quite eventful.
I braced ourselves for long queues when I arrived just before 10 a.m. on March 1st, but thanks to the pre-registration app, I breezed through the entrance. It truly made me marvel at the level of digital transformation - a direct result of COVID-19, yet setting global standards.
While exploring the various pavilions,
I typically move swiftly, but this time I spent a good five hours absorbing everything, contemplating the future of our business. The content was so stimulating and enlightening.
Although the event was dominated by discussions on the Metaverse, I personally feel it's still too early for immersive experiences like that. At least not this year; that's the impression I got.
Instead, I found the idea of a Metaverse experience within a facility resembling a planetarium, complete with beach-like lounging chairs and AR headsets, to be more feasible and promising for business expansion.
If a company were to approach me with such a venture, I'd be overjoyed. It seems like a promising endeavor with tangible results.
As for the MWC experience from a Japanese perspective,
having read various news articles beforehand, I couldn't help but feel a sense of disconnection. It made me realize how much the narrative can vary depending on the writer.
Furthermore, I realized that writers are merely conducting interviews for their writing purposes, and may not necessarily grasp the full understanding of where the business is headed.
On a separate note,
Huawei made an astounding impact at the event,
unrelated to the Metaverse. They truly built an empire!
The setup they had, controlling entry like a train station, was impressive. It felt like passing through an entry gate at an event venue, with different passes controlling access. The distance from the entry gate to the main area was around 50 meters.
Similarly,
Samsung made quite an impression.
The promotion of their new Laptop, the Samsung Book2 Pro, was spectacular. The design of the device was impressive, and had it been available for sale, I might have purchased it on the spot.
Overall, this event showcased the remarkable progress and extensive promotion by Korean companies, including Samsung. While Huawei and Xiaomi from China also stood out prominently, it seemed like companies from other regions were facing some challenges in comparison.
I've attached some additional images for reference.
