CES 2016

As I begin this penning, may I state the following emphatically…I MISS DAVID LETTERMAN. Although it hasn’t even been a year since Dave stepped down, I sorely miss the gap-toothed “King of Late Night”, and quite honestly can’t find it in my heart to embrace any of these new pretenders to the throne (Stephen Colbert & James Corden take note). There’s never going to be another David Letterman on late night television again, although every single one of today’s late night hosts from Conan O’Brien to Jimmy Kimmel to Jimmy Fallon have jobs today because of the groundwork Letterman paved before them. It’s truly saddening to me that Letterman called it a career, but it has reminded me that if I can’t tune in to see the true king of late night TV, I can pay an homage of sorts to him with this blog “peppered” with Lettermanisms. So, without further ado…
“Wake the kids and phone the neighbors!” CES (Colossal Extravaganza Spectacle), is about to descend upon Las Vegas with seismic waves that would rival any tsunami generated by an earthquake, Mirage volcanic eruption, landslide, glacier calving, meteorite, or an “O” underwater explosion. We’re talking big. HUGE… is an understatement. “Yikes-a-hooty!!”
At the beginning of each New Year, the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) takes over Las Vegas meeting space to showcase the latest products and trends in innovation to visitors from around the globe. But did you know how this international trade show impacts our local economy?
FAB FACT: According to the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, Las Vegas will reap over $200 million in non-gaming revenue from CES.
There is No Event Experience like CES. The 2015 CES was a record breaking year. More than 170,000 attendees from across the globe gathered amongst 2.2 million net square feet of exhibit space equivalent to 37 football fields, taking up the Las Vegas Convention Center and the Sands Expo Center, as well as the convention centers for the Westgate, the Venetian, the Palazzo, the Wynn and the Encore. At least 20,000 products will be unveiled. That’s why CES is the world’s gathering place for all who thrive on the business of consumer technology. No other event gives a company this depth of exposure and reach, because there’s no other event experience like CES on the planet. “This is only an exhibition. It is not a competition. Please… no wagering.”
CES TOP TEN:
“Here are the statistics, or as they are call ’em back in Indiana, suhtistics.”
- 3,631 EXHIBITING COMPANIES
- 375 STARTUPS
- 1,809 GOVERNMENT PROFESSIONALS
- 48,616 SENIOR-LEVER EXECUTIVES
- 26,587 ADVERTISNG/MARKETING ATTENDEES
- 153 COUNTRIES REPRESENTED
- 48,833 INTERNATIONAL ATTENDEES
- 83% OF TOP RETAILERS
- 82% OF FORTUNE 100 COMPANTIES
- #CES2015 TOTAL IMPRESSIONS: 8,181,054,750
“I think I speak for all of America when I say, ‘Shhheeeeshhh.’ ”
COME FOR THE INNOVATION. STAY FOR THE BUSINESS.
So why should you attend? The International CES (Consumer Electronics Show®) is the world’s gathering place for all who thrive on the business of consumer technologies. It’s where business gets done: on the show floor, in and around conference programs, in impromptu connections and in planned meetings and special events. Experience the mind-blowing technology and awe-inducing innovations at #CES2016.
Don’t take just our word for it…
“Big energy. Big ideas. Big opportunity. CES delivers it all.” – Joellyn Gray, director of marketing, Fujifilm North America Corporation
“There’s no other place I’d launch a startup.” – Mara Lewis, CEO and co-founder, Stopped.at
“As an active angel investor there is no better place than CES to discover early stage companies in CE and related area and to learn the latest trends in technology.” – Larry Richenstein, CEO, Peak Ventures
“CES is a great gauge of where the industry is headed.” – Jack Sheng, co-founder and CEO, eForCity Corp. “You know him, you love him, you can’t live without him…”
“There is no place in the world where you get so much done is so little time. Fantastic show!” – Randy Fry, president, Fry’s Electronics
There’s only one question left. Are you ready for CES? “More fun than humans should be allowed to have.”
IF IT MATTERS IN HOLLYWOOD, IT MATTERS HERE.
Entertainment Matters, presented by Variety, is a CES program developed to help entertainment professionals navigate the largest, most influential technology show in the world, through exhibits, keynotes and panels as well as events critical to the Hollywood community.
Entertainment Matters at CES (EM) attracts more than 25,000 senior-level executives and influencers from content and entertainment industry to the CES. Attendees have included executives from 20th Century Fox, Disney/ABC, ESPN, Lionsgate, Miramax, Paramount, Universal Studios, Viacom and YouTube.
As a Las Vegas DMC and an entertainment professional, EM is your connection to lucrative partnerships and groundbreaking innovations at the world’s most influential technology event.
From conferences to special events and keynotes, Entertainment Matters offers a myriad of activities for the content and entertainment industry at CES. “You’ll come for the ham. You’ll stay for the band.”
- Keynotes from Netflix CEO Reed Hastings and YouTube Chief Business Officer Robert Kyncl.
- Justine Ezarik and Joey Graceffa named 2016 Entertainment Matters Ambassadors.
- Special events like the Hulu Cocktail Party, Technology and Engineering Emmy Awards and the MediaLink CES Kick-off Party.
“Ladies and gentlemen, I don’t believe that there is a man, woman or child alive today who doesn’t enjoy a lovely beverage.”
“STUPID HUMAN TRICKS”
“Wake the neighbors and phone the kids!” CES officially bans hoverboards. There will be no Marty McFly wannabees as CES: hoverboards have been nixed. While there might be plenty of innovative startup companies showing their coolest new hoverboards, or other wheeled transport devices at the show, they won’t be able to try and entice attendees to come check out their wares by zooming about the show floor. Nor will attendees be able to get around more quickly and split crowds by gliding down the aisles.
The policy strictly forbids any segway-type devices, including uniwheels, skateboards, segways, and hoverboards. There are exceptions, of course, for people with disabilities. And the venue, the Las Vegas Convention Centre and the Sands at the Venetian Hotel, does offer rental scooters and wheelchairs for those in need.
Chances are that this was a policy all along for the venues – motorized vehicles aren’t usually permitted at indoor conventions, after all. But this eliminates any misconceptions that CES, being a technology show and all, might have been the exception.
It’s probably for the best, despite the irony. CES welcomes hundreds of thousands of visitors over its four-day duration. And it’s typically shoulder-to-shoulder inside the halls. Show-goers have enough to contend with when it comes to irritating roller bags, oversized backpacks, and outright pushy people. So hoverboards? Well, that might be taking it a bit too far.
That said, hopefully attendees will be able to at least try out some cool devices, popped collars and all, in a controlled, outdoor environment. Inside the show, perhaps there will at least be some self-lacing shoes this time? Great Scott!
“You know, ladies and gentlemen… you’ll come for the entertainment, but you’ll stay for the canned-ham giveaway.”
So, which do you prefer, robots or TVs? Exploring or sitting? Running or driving? Clones or drones? Bill Gates or…an Elvis Presley Hologram? The CES show floor is packed with thousands of unique products, and it all awaits you here in Las Vegas “The Electronics Capital of the World.”
As Dave would say; “This show’s so good, it ought to be televised.”
Be fabulous,
Belinda #CES2016
Sources:
cesweb.org
chttp://www.ddy.com/dl35.htmles.com
finance.yahoo.com