Covid-19 fears are keeping companies away on March 11, 2021, 10:42 Recap: Is history set to repeat itself? Mobile World Congress was one of the first major conferences to be canceled last year after an increasing number of companies pulled out over Covid-19 fears. The event returns to Barcelona this year, but despite plenty of protections in place, more big names have announced they won't be attending. We heard earlier this year that MWC Barcelona would be an in-person event this year when it takes place in June instead of the usual February date. Organizer GSMA has pointed to last month's MWC Shanghai, which saw around 17,000 attendees, as an example to follow.