Yes, those of us traveling to Barcelona, Spain, for next week’s Mobile World Congress (MWC) get to spend a little time in that beautiful city by the sea. The history, the art and all the splendor – it’s a beautiful place for the industry to convene. Hey, who doesn’t enjoy watching a little PowerPoint in a convention hall when the sun is shining on the steps to the National Palace?

Snarkiness aside, it is a wonderful place, but if the transit strike happens, the jet lag is going to feel a whole lot worse. Not even a great cup of Spanish coffee will wipe away the pain. After going to this trade show for a few years, I finally figured out the mass transit system, more or less, and it's fast and convenient.

Of course, there was that first time there when I got on the wrong bus at the end of a long day, ending with the bus driver’s “finale” announcement at the top of a hill overlooking the city. Quite a ways from where I needed to be. Somehow, with a little help from the locals, I figured out the way back to my hotel, but it was at least a 2- or 3-hour diversion. I learned my lesson that day and subsequently became better schooled in the ways of Barcelona public transportation. (Taxi lines are very, very long during MWC and cab rides are costly, not to mention time-consuming when traffic is deadlocked.)

The GSMA says it still hopes a strike by metro and bus workers will be averted before Monday’s official start of the show, but yesterday it gave a few more clues about its contingency plans, and that makes me less optimistic of a resolution before next week. If indeed the bus and metro system is on hold, that’s going to cause all kinds of headaches for thousands of people.

According to a Spanish newspaper report, workers are looking for a pay increase but the public transport in Barcelona can’t afford it. GSMA senior executives have been meeting with government officials from the city and elsewhere for quite some time, but apparently to no avail, at least, not yet.

GSMA says it will share more details of the contingency plans on Saturday, and we can find that at the airport, hotels or while registering on site at the Fira Montjuic. Funny (not), that Barcelona was selected last year from a list of finalists (Milan, Munich and Paris were contenders) as the Mobile World Capital, making it the host MWC city from 2012 to 2018. 

It’s a little eerie looking back at the GSMA’s reasons for selecting Barcelona: “… in the end, Barcelona truly demonstrated that it deserves the title of the Mobile World Capital” and “The selection of the Mobile World Capital was based on many criteria and took into consideration all aspects of what a city can offer … The city’s development strategy for all of the elements of the Mobile World Capital is critical, and of course, logistics, weather, crime rates, prices of services or hotels are part of the decision making process.” Ouch. 

Presumably, the GSMA can threaten to take the title away, but who knows how much good that does? The GSMA isn't saying much given the situation and negotiations are surely as hot as you-know-what. 

I will be looking for those contingency plans on Saturday. Like so many others, I had to book my hotel months ago, and it’s about 20 minutes away from the Fira using the metro/subway system. Walking the entire way to the Fira isn't going to be a real feasible option, if it's even possible. But after traveling 6,000 miles to get there, like everyone else, I’ll make the best of it. Then we can all compare and contrast the best pedestrian navagational services. Footnote: This is me talking on Thursday. We'll see how my attitude is come Monday.