CES is the world’s biggest, most influential tech conference, taking place in Las Vegas from January 5-8. This year, CES has taken a new approach and announced that they’re focusing on sustainability and how technology can improve people’s lives worldwide. Colloquially referred to as the “Global Stage for Innovation,” we’re excited to see what companies and thought leaders are bringing to the table after a rough patch due to the pandemic.
Despite an underwhelming crowd in 2022, the conference expects up to 100,000 people to attend this year, making it the largest independently audited post-pandemic tech event. Speakers include experts from Microsoft, Amazon, Google, Disney, Sony, and many more.
We have brought more than a dozen clients to CES over the years, some with enormous budgets and others with hardly any. During that time, we learned a lot of lessons.
If you plan to make an impact with media at CES and haven’t booked a booth or hotel space, you will need to get creative—quickly. There are 2400+ exhibitors, so booth space at the convention center and many of the satellite hotels have been sold out for months, as have hotel rooms near these venues. Companies experienced with CES have already set up most or all of their media interviews, and many editors’ calendars are booked solid.
Here are a few ideas for you:
- You can still book hotel rooms at hotels on the Strip or in other areas of Las Vegas. If you can, stay at hotels on or near the monorail route that runs to the convention center.
- If you have a demo and need dedicated space, try buying into a partner’s booth space. Don’t expect media to come to a room at your hotel; they will simply be too busy.
- Consider media events such as ShowStoppers, a media-only event where companies purchase tables for approximately $9,000-$12,000, and roughly 300 media will walk around, ask questions, and watch demonstrations. For a new company with a new product, these events can be a very efficient way to get your brand out there.
- If you plan to launch a new product, unless you have a large budget and team, consider holding the launch in early December or after CES. Thousands of companies distribute press releases daily at CES, so unless your brand is well-known, your news will likely be “lost” in the noise.
- Use CES as an opportunity to listen as well as to talk. Conveniently, CES is divided into 25 “Marketplaces” where companies with similar products are grouped. If you have a product for the robotics market, for example, walk around the Robotics Marketplace and see it as a networking space.
- Think about CES in the overall cadence of your marketing activities. Don’t think of it as a one-off event. Plan on holding a webinar in late January to keep marketing activity high.
There are as many strategies for maximizing participation at CES as there are companies attending. If you’d like to discuss strategies to help your organization succeed at CES, let us know!
