MLOVE. Three days at the heart of mobile passion and innovation

I have just landed in Barcelona and can’t wait to write this post. Back at GTI it feels like the summer has already kicked in and students are no longer around the campus. I have had such a wonderful time since I left the office last Friday to do a little road trip across Tuscany and attend my best friend’s wedding. It was the most laid back and fun party ever!

After coming back to Barcelona for just a few hours on Monday night, I took the first plane to Zurich on Tuesday morning. The Projektil team picked me up from the airport and we had a fun 7 hours long drive to Beesenstedt, right where the MLove castle is located.
Because of such early arrival (the ConFestival started on Wednesday afternoon), I managed to finish writing my CSIM thesis draft and submit it, as well as my MLove presentation for Friday. I was already exhausted but what followed wast just like a dream…

Wired Magazine was not wrong when choosing MLove as the best event for mobile. Over 200 people gathered to truly share their insights and experiences on mobile innovation. Keynotes were so diverse and inspirational it was impossible not to feel injected with a good amount of new energy. I specially enjoyed those talks dealing with issues such as mobility, smart cities and services, innovation within the arts through mobile devices, new apps, the Internet of Things, etc.

The MLOVE Confestival brings together 200 thought leaders and innovators to discuss the powerful potential of mobile to act as a catalyst for community, change and inspiration. Set in a 100 room, 19th Century private castle in Germany over three nights and 2 days, global mobile industry executives, entrepreneurs and developers will mix with architects, scientists, musicians and social entrepreneurs to share and develop experiences in a highly interactive format and learn from each other about the opportunites that mobile presents today.

After my talk, which I will soon share here, I received fantastic feedback and great interest in my latest project for smart education and m-learning: CrowdMemo.

During three days I met so many fabulous professionals and entrepreneurs. I had amazing conversations with Sylvie Barak, Jessi Baker, Yuri Van Geest, Ralph Talmont, Lilian Güntsche, Torsten Schollmayer, Marco Massarotto, Lindsey C. Holmes, Ferhan Cook, Gianfranco Chicco, Martin lange, Vineeta Shetty, Jan C. Rode, Raphael and Mikela from Galaxio, Kiki, Dave…among so many others whose names I will fail to spell correctly.

The cherry on the cake was given by Projektil with a very interesting mapping on the façade of the castle which could be controlled through Twitter. In addition, some mlovers could connect their brain to a BCI and make a statement using their brainwaves. Nice!

Last but not least, the Future Cubes allowed us to interact in a very creative way and imagine the future without restrictions. We could have been a bit more rigorous with the output but in the end it’s about freeing your imagination :)

MLove is not just what happens on stage but all the cool interactions and conversation during three days of intense connection. It is inspiring and fun, it creates value, knowledge and emotions. It is definitely an innovative format which combines the insights of a conference with the spirit of a summer camp. I feel truly thankful for having been invited by Harald and pampered by his wonderful team. I am looking forward to staying in touch with all the mlovers for more promising projects and m-passion.