CES 2023: Tips and tips for the most important in-person tech commerce occasion

I first attended the Consumer Electronics Show again within the Nineteen Nineties when then-Microsoft CEO Bill Gates gave the opening keynote speeches yearly. Las Vegas has modified loads since then, however a few of my recommendation concerning the present goes again to these good previous days.

For occasion, it’s all the time necessary to put on comfortable sneakers. I realized that lesson after some blisters throughout a CES years in the past. What’s modified? Well, I’d suggest sporting a masks more often than not at CES 2023, which begins for the press on January 3 after which will get underneath method for actual on January 5 and ends January 8.

Much of my recommendation is just not rocket science, however I cooked this up with the information that it is going to be a hybrid occasion — one thing endlessly modified by the pandemic that compelled the present into digital type in 2021. The present passed off in particular person in January 2022, however the Omicron wave of COVID-19 took its toll. Many folks reported getting sick and solely 45,000 went to the present, far under the 175,212 that confirmed up in 2019.

Since there are new folks attending the present yearly and lots of going again for the primary time since 2020, I really feel obligated to supply my ideas and tips. (But I take no duty for dangerous recommendation.) I even have new ideas, like pointing you to the CES app, which got here out only in the near past.

CES 2023 is predicted to attract 100,000 techies, down some from 175,212 in 2019, 171,268 in 2020 and method up from 45,000 in 2022, based on an informed guess from Gary Shapiro, CEO of the Consumer Technology Association, the commerce group that places on the present. The entire occasion will appear a day shorter than regular, partly as a result of New Years Day falls on a Sunday and lots of employees will likely be taking Monday off. That alone will account for fewer attendees throughout all the occasion. But the occasion runs by way of Sunday the eighth.

CES 2020 had about 4,500 exhibitors throughout 2.9 million sq. ft of area. This yr, CES 2023 will possible have shut to three,000 exhibitors throughout a minimum of 2.1 million sq. ft of area.

Should you go?

Well, the present is large. Last yr, there have been 3,100 media attending CES 2022. And they wrote 177,000 tales. CES 2020 had an estimated financial impression of $291 million in Las Vegas. Investors have contributed greater than $10 billion to this point to startups at Eureka Park.

Those are some respectable causes to think about the present as a must-attend for some of us. On the opposite hand, everybody ought to take into account the well being dangers of going to an enormous occasion.

I nonetheless view CES as a bellwether for the tech financial system, as no different occasion spans all the tech world prefer it does. Companies wish to create a buzz at CES, which is designed to sign merchandise coming within the subsequent yr. I discover the present a helpful strategy to keep on top of things on the most recent know-how. If you discover the well being danger acceptable, then it may nonetheless be a helpful strategy to keep in contact.

Apple doesn’t attend the present, however nearly each different tech large does. It’s the place the tech trade will likely be subsequent week, although it’s not a lot of a sport occasion lately. Sony, nevertheless, will likely be displaying up and you may guess they’ll speak extra about PlayStation VR 2.

And whereas a few of that may make you optimistic, the specter of tech layoffs is hanging over the present. Shapiro hasn’t seen a fall-off in registration, however he acknowledges a “rebalancing in the tech community.”

“Tech has been very strong for many years. But there always is a business cycle. It seems like every 10 years — the last one was 2008-2009. In a way there was 2020. Before that you had 2000-2001, and 1990-91,” mentioned Shapiro. “There are recessions. The tech industry is not immune to the impact of the economy overall. But in the long run, the tech industry, consumer technology, so many different flavors of solving human problems, has a great future.”

Health protocols

This yr’s well being procotols are totally different from CES 2022. Of course, the CTA will argue it’s secure. And it says it should “monitor COVID and other health developments across the globe and will follow health safety guidelines from the WHO and CDC, as well as applicable federal, state and local laws.”

Before you permit house, CES encourages you to get a flu shot, stand up to this point together with your COVID vaccines and booster pictures, and check commonly as the simplest strategy to detect COVID and isolate if you’re contaminated.

CDC pointers as of September 10, 2022, require worldwide vacationers to the U.S. to indicate proof of vaccination in opposition to COVID earlier than boarding a flight to the U.S. CES suggests that you simply self-test earlier than leaving and upon arriving in Las Vegas. You can discover Las Vegas testing websites at NVCovidFighter utilizing the zip code 89109.

CES will present entry to speedy antigen checks. If you’re feeling sick onsite at a CES exhibit venue, the CTA will provide free testing at designated medical stations. It additionally will present isolation suggestions from the CDC in case you check constructive. It will even present masks. It recommends you put on a high-quality masks indoors if you’re extra comfy and it asks that you simply “respect those around you that choose to do so.”

Since 2020, CES reveals have improved air flow programs and elevated outdoors air movement. They will even have diminished floor contact factors in high-traffic areas. There will even be more room for social distancing. Security screening entry factors can have one-way visitors movement. It suggests you keep away from shaking arms and use hand sanitizer, which will likely be accessible within the venues.

Getting your badge and moving into the present

You need to work within the tech trade to get into the present. It’s a spot for professionals, not vacationers, and registration is designed to display the vacationers out.

With 100,000 folks on the present, you don’t wish to get caught in lengthy strains. You can keep away from the primary large line by selecting up your badge by displaying your ID and present registration early. You can get your CES badge on the baggage declare areas of the airport and many of the venues.

There will even be strains moving into the venues. You should undergo a bag search on the entrance to all present venues. All baggage are topic to go looking and metallic wand screening. In addition, common attendees can solely carry two small baggage, every smaller than 12”x17”x6” into present venues.

Attendees are inspired to think about their bag kind and use clear baggage (mesh, plastic, vinyl, and many others.) to expedite entry. Rolling baggage of any measurement are prohibited together with baggage, carry-ons, laptop computer and laptop baggage, and rolling baggage carts.

Media with an official media badge are permitted to hand-carry gear onto present premises in extra of the two-bag restriction. This gear is topic to go looking and tagged as permitted for entry. If you’ve bought an excellent gentle laptop computer, I recommend you deliver it. And possibly deliver a backup you probably have one. But take into account the tradeoffs of getting backup stuff and a heavier bag that may kill your again.

If you do have heavier baggage, you may verify them on the Las Vegas Convention Center Central Plaza and West Hall exterior areas, the Venetian Expo Level 1 foyer, and the Venetian Ballroom lobby.

Peak instances for CES crowds

The press occasions begin late on January 3 and proceed all day on January 4. Lisa Su, CEO of Advanced Micro Devices, will kick off the keynote speeches at 6:30 p.m. on January 4 on the Venetian Palazzo Balloom, adopted by a chat at 8 p.m. at The Pearl Theater at The Palms by BMW chairman Oliver Zipse.

The expo will begin in locations just like the Las Vegas Convention Center and the Sands Expo on January 5, when you may anticipate to see the crowds displaying up.

John May, CEO of John Deere, will give a keynote on the morning of January 5 at 8:30 a.m. within the Venetian Palazzo Ballroom, and the CTA’s Shapiro will even give a sort of state of the union about tech throughout that point.

Other talks will happen on the Aria’s C Space part, the place audio system like Ed Bastian, CEO of Delta Air Lines, Jeremi Gorman, president of world promoting at Netflix, and Francine Li, international head of promoting at Riot Games, will communicate.

These audio system are extra various than previously. And they replicate the truth that know-how is shifting nicely past tech firms and all main firms are adopting it. When tech fades into the woodworks, like into the large John Deere combines harvesting wheat, it has reached a brand new stage. The internet-connected tractors are all about getting extra meals to folks on the earth.

I’m undecided what to anticipate on Saturday and Sunday (January 7-8) on the present. CES often doesn’t final that lengthy, however some folks is perhaps arriving on these days simply to see the present with out crowds.

Press days

As I discussed, the press days will begin earlier with some digital occasions, like Nvidia’s 8 a.m. on-line press occasion on January 3 and Acer’s 9 a.m. on-line occasion the identical day.

At 4 p.m. on January 3, CTA vice chairman of analysis will kick off the primary CES occasion on the Mandalay Bay in a press-only occasion, adopted by CES Unveiled at 5 p.m., the place scores of firms will likely be displaying off their award-winning stuff for the primary time on the present.

For the press, Tuesday January 4 is a sort of baptism by hearth, because of press occasions beginning at 8 a.m. with LG and ending with Sony’s 5 p.m. press occasion. The opening keynote follows, after which the press strikes on to the Pepcom (press solely) get together at Caesar’s Palace. The rival Showstoppers press get together takes place on the Bellagio this yr on January 5.

This is the day once I want the laptop computer with the longest battery life. (Yes, that’s nonetheless a difficulty).

As famous, Wednesday is when the true crowds present up, and also you’ll discover it in eating places, transportation strains, conference halls, on line casino flooring, and on the airport. Let’s hope the climate will likely be good, in distinction to the torrential rains we noticed in 2018, when blackouts took out the principle present ground.

If you’re leaving the conference focus on 6 p.m., you may catch a bus to many of the main inns. But that’s additionally the busiest visitors time. You’ll need to stroll (maybe a good distance) to designated areas for Uber/Lyft ride-sharing pickup zones. And there’s the monorail to think about as nicely for some inns.

Getting misplaced within the maze

The 2.1 million-plus sq. ft of exhibition area will open at 10 a.m. on Wednesday January 5.

If you’re actually formidable, you can be strolling 30,000 steps a day, about 3 to six instances as a lot as regular. For me, exhaustion units in round 20,000 steps. If you may minimize some pointless strolling out of your day, that may be clever to do.

You can begin by attending to know the areas. The LVCC Central Hall is the place lots of the large firms are, comparable to Samsung, Sony, Canon, Sharp, Nikon, IBM, Panasonic, LG, Bosch, and lots of extra.

You can stroll throughout a connector from the Central Hall to the South Hall, the place there are a mixture of large cubicles, small cubicles, and assembly rooms (that are method within the again).

The South Hall itself is complicated, because it has two ranges. South Halls 1 and a couple of are on the bottom stage, with sales space numbers starting from 2000 to 22999 and 25000 to 27999 on the bottom stage. South Halls 3 and 4 (30000-32999, 35000-37999) are on the higher stage, and each are simply reached by way of the South Hall connector.

What’s trending and what’s not

The metaverse goes to be a key theme, although some folks within the know have been enthusiastic about it earlier and aren’t as enthusiastic about it now that now we have a downturn. But I consider there’s a wave of recent applied sciences about to hit that may unfold curiosity within the metaverse throughout all industries.

Will we see proof of that at CES this yr? I truthfully don’t understand how a lot of that tech will likely be prepared. But CES is usually about advertising and marketing hype, and the individuals who market stuff there know a catchy pattern after they see one.

Some like Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg consider that VR will develop into one thing enormous. But others really feel like it is going to be a distinct segment. Apple will possible allow augmented actuality to take off on cellular. But that’s not the whole lot of the metaverse. Gamers are going to be in growth mode. Hollywood will promote the sci-fi imaginative and prescient. The industrial and ecommerce industries will likely be enormous. Brands will go the place the individuals are.

Altogether, that provides as much as a substantial quantity of power working in favor of the metaverse. A recession will gradual this stuff down, however I don’t assume it should kill the metaverse.

I’m going to reasonable a panel at CES on Friday January 6 about how gaming will lead the metaverse. It will happen at 3 pm on Friday January 6 at LVCC North / N262 and have audio system from Area15, Upland, Holoride and Tilt Five.

The present can have a devoted area for issues like gaming once more, however it should even have new areas devoted to Web3, blockchain and cryptocurrency. We’ll see quite a lot of immersive digital experiences, like a venture the place carmaker Stellantis and Microsoft are teaming up on a showroom within the metaverse.

Sony is prone to showcase its PSVR 2 product launching on February 22. Various publications have mentioned that HTC will even showcase a brand new headset that may be a instrument for gaming, leisure, enterprise and productiveness. L’Oreal will likely be there demoing augmented actuality merchandise. Nvidia will hopefully give us an replace on the Omniverse instruments for constructing the metaverse for engineers.

This yr will characteristic new themes comparable to cellular tech targeted on marine environments in addition to a dwell demo session with the International Space Station.

The transportation sections will develop because the march towards autonomous automobiles continues. Shapiro mentioned the present can have an “incredibly strong” well being tech class.

Shapiro expects we’ll see lots of meals tech, like from an organization referred to as Suvie, which cooks meals when you’re away and is prepared if you get house.

Based on the pitches I’m getting, I feel we’ll see lots of tech associated to synthetic intelligence, health-focused wearables, energy-saving units, customized 3D printing, the web of issues (IoT), sleep care, elder care, psychological care, sensible automobiles, robots, digital actuality (assume Sony and HTC).

As far as humanitarian points go, CES is teamed with the United Nations and its give attention to elementary human rights, like the correct to wash air and water, the correct to healthcare, safety and mobility.

Your CES survival ideas

Many of the following tips are recycled from previous years, however I’ve gone by way of and renewed them with my newest data. As I discussed, it’s arduous to get round at CES. You ought to maintain appointments to a half hour, however notice that it takes time to stroll between venues. You could encounter delays as a result of different individuals are not on time. And you might even have bother discovering folks at massive cubicles. So it’s good to pad your schedule to account for attainable delays and isolate the actually necessary appointments.

The CES badges now have photographs on them, streamlining identification and making it more durable for folks to share badges.

On your crowded flights, attempt to journey gentle. For Southwest, I all the time verify in forward of boarding, setting an alarm for precisely 24 hours earlier than my flight. Check your baggage in case you don’t need to get anyplace shortly. Be ready for lengthy cab strains and rental automotive check-in strains. (Services like Uber and Lyft have been very helpful at CES, significantly as parking is just not plentiful sufficient and the large casinos/inns now cost $10 per go to at their self-parking garages). I don’t lease a automotive anymore.

I like to recommend sleep. If the events are what you care about, there are sometimes get together lists that flow into. Here’s one which I’ve seen. Those events usually require distinctive invites and RSVPs. On Thursday, Dolby Labs is throwing a live performance with Imagine Dragons.

Remember to swap telephone numbers with the folks you might be assembly so you may coordinate, significantly as somebody is often held up by the crowds. Incorporate driving and consuming instances into your calendar, or use a calendar that does that routinely for you.

Smartphone reception is healthier than it was, however it’s nonetheless most likely liable to interference. Text message is often an honest strategy to talk with coworkers. We all the time hunt down the Wi-Fi/5G havens within the press rooms or wherever we are able to discover them.

But carry a MiFi or activate a private hotspot in case you can; even lodge web connections are prone to be pressured to the restrict in the course of the present. If you’re liable for importing video, thanks for clogging the community for the remainder of us. By CES 2023, I hopefully received’t need to complain about this, as 5G networks ought to theoretically allow quicker connection speeds on mobile information.

If you acquire lots of swag, you may ship it house by way of transport providers as a substitute of carting it on the aircraft. You ought to print a map of the exhibit ground or rip one out of the present information. You must also print your tickets, schedule, and RSVPs for occasions — or make them simply accessible in your telephone. (If somebody steals your major bag, you must have backups in a second bag).

You want battery backup to your laptop computer or smartphone, hand sanitizer, an excellent digicam, ibuprofen, and nutritional vitamins. I’ve bought an HP Elitebook and a Dynabook laptop computer this yr. Bring a backup for every part, even when you need to depart it in your lodge room this yr.

I used to suggest taking enterprise playing cards. But these can carry germs and who desires that now? Now you may swap your LinkedIn credentials with folks by way of your smartphone. If you’re exhibiting, put on your organization model in your shirt. Try very arduous to keep away from dropping your telephone. I put on a jacket with zippered pockets so I can put my telephone and pockets inside.

Make a while to stroll the present ground. If the cab/rideshare strains have you ever annoyed, don’t take into consideration strolling to a close-by lodge. Chances are the cab line there may be additionally dangerous, and the inns are so enormous {that a} mirage impact makes them look deceptively shut. If you might have a rental automotive, strive to not get caught in a visitors jam in a 10-story parking storage. And all the time mark down the place you parked your automotive in your telephone map or paper.

Uber and Lyft automobiles are actually the way in which to journey now. But in previous years I discovered that the pickup on the LVCC (close to the Renaissance Hotel) was a visitors logjam. So it may be powerful it doesn’t matter what you do.

Schedule your appointments in areas which might be close to one another, and verify exhibitor areas on a CES map. Arrive early for keynotes as a result of the strains are lengthy.

Drink a lot of water. Get some sleep — you actually don’t need to get together each evening. Don’t miss your flight on the way in which out. Pack up a bunch of snacks early on to keep away from getting caught in breakfast or lunch strains. Take a smartphone with an excellent digicam as a result of what occurs in Vegas … will get shared on the web.

As for the notion which you could expertise the present in each digital and bodily methods, Shapiro mentioned, “We’ve learned that the digital experience complements the live experience in many ways. A lot of the most dedicated digital users of our platform were those that attended CES, who were very busy people, who couldn’t get to all the conferences they wanted to or connect with all the exhibitors. We’ve decided to extend the platform through the end of February, so people going to the show can continue their experience for more than double the time we had in 2022. We’ll also offer a remote option for those who choose not to go to CES.”

He added, “What we learned in 2021 and 2022, and even going around the world and talking to our constituencies and having live events in Amsterdam and Paris and New York and elsewhere, is that people want to go and see their customers, to find new customers, to discover new things that they wouldn’t be able to discover online. Serendipity is still a very important factor. The live experience, for many people, is the most important thing.”