Nate Gentile, technology communicator, at the first Talent Arena conference.
- High-profile speakers such as Steve Wozniak, Garry Kasparov, Sarah Novotny, and Cassie Kozyrkov will share their insights on topics such as generative artificial intelligence, quantum technologies, cybersecurity, and strengthening human relationships in the digital age.
- In addition to conferences, Talent Arena offers 45 programming workshops, mentoring sessions with industry professionals, and key events for developers, such as the GSMA Open Gateway DevCon.
- The event, organised by Mobile World Capital Foundation, focuses on one of the world’s major challenges: ensuring the availability of digital talent to meet the growing demand in the technology sector.
Barcelona, 3 March 2025 – Mobile World Capital Barcelona (MWCapital) has opened the doors to the first edition of Talent Arena, Europe’s largest event dedicated to digital talent, taking place at Fira Montjuïc until 5 March. For the first time during MWC, the event brings together technology professionals to connect and discuss about key topics that are shaping the present and future of the industry, including the evolution of artificial intelligence, software development, cybersecurity, and quantum computing.
Throughout its duration, Talent Arena will foster an environment for knowledge, networking, and professional growth. The event addresses one of today’s major social and economic challenges: the need to promote digital talent to meet the growing demand in the ICT sector. In Europe, there are around 10 million ICT professionals and tech hubs such as Barcelona, have doubled since 2018, reaching 122,000 workers today.
According to MWCapital’s CEO, Francesc Fajula, “Talent Arena complements Barcelona’s tech ecosystem during MWC by bringing together ICT professionals and plays a key role in fostering the next generation of Europe’s technological talent.”
International leaders and technological challenges
One of the main highlights of the first edition of Talent Arena is its conference programme, featuring 200 speakers, including some of the world’s most influential voices in technology. During the opening day, Talent Arena will welcome renowned figures such as chess grandmaster and AI expert Garry Kasparov, Google’s Senior Director of Engineering Pilar Manchón, MIT AI Faculty Director Antonio Torralba, and tech communicator and entrepreneur Nate Gentile.
On Tuesday and Wednesday, speakers will include Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, former Chief Decision Scientist at Google Cassie Kozyrkov, Google’s Vice President of Product Xavier Amatriain, and former SpaceX Development Engineer Lauren Lyons, among others.
The talks will explore key themes such as Europe’s technological sovereignty, the evolution of generative AI over the past decade, and the challenges of managing digital talent in a highly competitive environment. There will also be discussions on the impact of quantum computing on technological development, the role of inclusive leadership in organisational transformation, and the intersection of AI and programming.
Alongside the conferences, Talent Arena’s activity programme kicks off today, featuring 45 programming workshops, mentoring sessions with industry professionals, and key developer events such as the GSMA Open Gateway DevCon. This event will bring together leading companies to showcase best practices and live demonstrations on programming network-based API services.
With its first edition, Talent Arena positions itself as an essential event for professionals, businesses, and organisations looking to anticipate the challenges of the digital future and lead innovation in their respective sectors.