49,000 visitors, including 2,800 CEOs.
Was Mobile World Congress quieter this year? Not according to the official stats.
The GSMA says that more than 49,000 people from 200 countries attended the show, compared to 47,000 last year.
Both figures include delegates, exhibitors, contractors and media. The GSMA says that 54% of attendees hold C-level executive positions, including more than 2,800 CEOs.
Meanwhile, the body says that more than 20,000 people visited the new App Planet event, while more than 6,000 developers attended Mobile World Congress as a whole.
"Once again, Mobile World Congress stands out as the must-attend event for the global communications industry," says GSMA CEO John Hoffman.
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However, how to square these figures with the view - expressed to ME by numerous people we met at MWC - that the show was quieter this year?
One reason may be the fact that many of those developers were attending the App Planet sessions in Hall 7, and so out of sight for periods of time during the day.
Meanwhile, several companies that ME met last week were only attending the show for a couple of days rather than the full four - decisions as much about accomodation costs as any fall in relevance of the show itself.
Something else we heard from a number of companies exhibiting at MWC last week was that there were less 'tyre kickers' - people visiting their stands without serious intention of doing business. A positive sign.
