Provence Promotion Present at Mobile World Congress

Once again, Barcelona will be the place to be from February 22 to 25 for the Mobile World Congress, the flagship event for the mobile and telecoms industry. In 2015, the event saw more than 94,000 professionals from 200 countries pass through its doors, a record that is set to be bettered in 2016. For Provence Promotion, whose principal mission is to convince investors to base their businesses in Provence, being present at the MWC is vital, since the digital economy represents around a quarter of all foreign investment in the Bouches-du-Rhône each year.

The PACA region -the best-represented French region at the show- will have its own stand (Hall 5 – Stand 5B61) within the France Pavilion. Eleven regional exhibitors from the world-recognized SCS Cluster, will be on hand to take part in B2B meetings alongside Provence Promotion and its partners. Major regional groups such as Wiko will also be present on their own stands, underlining the dynamic nature of Provence's economic ecosystem. A foreign-owned and fast-growing company, Wiko is one of the "tech champions" of the Aix-Marseille French Tech zone. To celebrate its fifth anniversary, Provence Promotion will be presenting the company with its Invest in Provence Award.

Market leaders including Samsung, Apple, HTC and Sony, together with manufacturers such as Ericsson, Alcatel-Lucent and ZTE have been preparing for this upcoming MWC. The market launches of new terminals, smartphones, tablets and connected objects have been announced in their dozens, many of these the result of new partnerships, technological breakthroughs and an unceasing worldwide trend towards even more mobility.

For Provence Promotion, the MWC is a unique opportunity to meet all the major players (operators, manufacturers, service providers…) and to get a look at the latest sector developments such as 5G networks and Lifi, biometric scanners and even innovative solutions in cloud computing. Among the many conferences on offer, the one hosted by Mark Zuckerberg is sure to attract a full house.
 
Even if the market leaders are the star attractions, there will still be room for start-ups to shine. The App Planet in Hall 8.1 will bring together under one roof more than 200 innovative application publishers from all over the world. Several fledgling French businesses will be exhibiting there, with the others grouped together in the French tech Pavilion at the center of Hall 5. In all, 60 promising start-ups will be present to represent the very best of French innovation.
 
Digital Technologies – A Source of Strategic Investment

Both on a national and an international level, information technology represents a major source of strategic investment and one of the most attractive sectors in terms of the number of projects. This observation is equally true for the Bouches-du-Rhône département where it represents €8bn in earnings, as much as the tourism sector or the port.

In 2015, according to Provence Promotion's figures, the digital sector represented 25% of all new business ventures in the Bouches-du-Rhône, of which almost half were by foreign companies. As an event that covers many different facets of the digital sector, the MWC is a highlight in the year in terms of international prospecting. Around a hundred B2B meetings with potential investors are already scheduled.

During these targeted meetings, and in partnership with Euroméditerranée, Provence Promotion will be showcasing the region's assets along the themes of the city and connected objects. With major projects including Smartseille and The Camp, the region is aiming to invent the connected world of tomorrow. Provence can also offer many other advantages, including an HR pool and an R&D ecosystem favorable for conducive to development. Furthermore, Aix-Marseille was one of the first French regions to receive the government's French Tech label.

Wiko One of the Aix-Marseille French Tech Champions

In five years, Marseille-based Wiko (Hall 6 - Stand A32) has become the number two manufacturer and distributor of cellphones in France. The company, which employs 500 people, recently announced it had sold more than eight million handsets worldwide in 2015, pushing it into the top five in several European countries including France, Italy and Spain.

After their press conference to announce the launch of their new products, Provence Promotion will be presenting its Invest in Provence Award to Wiko founder and president Laurent Dahan and general manager Michel Assadourian. The ceremony will provide an opportunity to announce their membership of the Aix-Marseille French Tech ecosystem and to draw attention to the exceptional growth shown by the Provence mobile sector stakeholder to potential investors. The event will close with a networking cocktail during which Provence Promotion and its partners will be able to get together with their international contacts as part of the celebrations to mark Wiko's fifth anniversary.

> If you would like to find out more about the Aix-Marseille French Tech ecosystem and meet Provence Promotion and its partners at the Provence Networking Cocktail, please register for the Provence Networking Cocktail on the Wiko stand: http://bit.ly/1Qafy12