#MWC17: We took over Barcelona’s L’Aquarium for a celebration of GREAT British talent
Overlooking the beautiful Puerto de Barcelona with its exotic yachts from countries near and far, we gathered on February 27th after a day exploring at Mobile World Congress in celebration of British home-grown innovation. Overseen by L’Aquarium’s resident stingrays, penguins and other gigantic amphibians, the event placed some of the UK’s best and brightest innovative talent in the spotlight, nurturing the conversation on the ways in which British talent is disrupting the world around us.
Under a themed geodome from local Barcelona company Freedomes, we set about creating a space that both celebrated and showcased British innovation. The event was kicked off with a few words from Dr Mike Short, Vice President at Telefonica, who praised the work the UK’s Department for International Trade (DIT) is doing to support emerging British talent. Guests were encouraged to network with like-minded business people, and conversation continued late into the evening interrupted only by the arrival of a giant pan of local paella.
Tech and entrepreneurial disruption of course took centre stage at the event - the geodome venue was centred by an interactive globe installation in collaboration with Mashable and Scottish company Pufferfish. The globe displayed Twitter coverage of the Mobile World Congress event, which attendees could interact with. This was brought to life via Pufferfish’s intelligent display technology and Mashable’s proprietary Kilogram data visualisation software.
Alongside Mashable’s work with Pufferfish on pulling the event together, we also featured the work of several other homegrown companies on the evening. Unmade leant their creative prowess to the proceedings, providing some intelligently crafted knitwear. Apps from King, Citymapper, Trybe and Worldremit were also on display at interactive stations around the dome, creating an immersive, interactive experience for attendees.
Collaborating with young inventors and innovators allows Mashable great insight into the homegrown talent the UK has to offer – DIT is working to nurture this talent and its partnership with Mashable on this event allowed us both to bring together bright young minds in an interactive, stimulating way.
