The un-official word on CES…

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Blair Earl of Text 100′s Digital Lifestyle Group – and Text 100 Singapore – takes a wander (or is that a hike?) through the halls at this year’s Consumer Electronics Showcase in Las Vegas.

During three days of power walking in my power heels across three massive exhibition halls, navigating my way through a warren of booths, and meeting many busy people to tell them about our global digital lifestyle capabilities, I heard several comments made about CES. There were five comments that were echoed consistently throughout the week, so they must be worth mentioning to those that couldn’t be here.

1. “People don’t want to be sold to at CES, they just want to sell…” 

When I heard this the first time I cringed (given I wasn’t just there to spot new gadgets for the office). I seriously had a Homer Simpson “d’oh” moment, and started trying to rationalise it so that I could explain to my APAC colleagues why I flew here with a sales agenda.

But throughout the week I saw that it was not entirely true – as long as you were upfront about your agenda as soon as you shook someone’s hand. While many people were focused on their own sales, there were also many people able to multitask. These people saw an opportunity to absorb information, just as they were pushing it out. These people will definitely leave the show with many more business development leads.

2. “Why have a booth out in the noisy hall, with so many people cluttering your space, if you can have a private room. Especially considering your meetings should already be scheduled with the people you actually want to meet pre-CES…” 

I think I visited at least 30 booths, and walked past hundreds. And boy is it exhausting to push your way through the crowds, speak to each other over the noise and concentrate on the person in front of you. Not good to be feeling like this when trying to articulate your message!

Until I arrived in my first ‘private meeting room’, I had assumed it would be a cheaper option due to no signage or foot traffic. However, the moment I stepped in I knew immediately that they had paid top-dollar for the exclusivity. Compared to the show floor, it was like stepping from <insert major road here: Oxford Street, Times Square, Orchard Road etc> into a day spa, with food and drinks in one corner, products displayed clearly, comfy couches/sofas and several smaller private meetings rooms within. And it was so quiet!

So, I concur with this comment. However, there is a lot of value in meeting people out on the show floor. Sometimes these spontaneous meetings are the most rewarding ones. Though, this is probably more true with the next comment…

3. “More business is done off the show floor, than on it…” 

My formal debrief on the event certainly won’t detail every aspect of the ‘socializing’ that is a key part of CES, but let’s just say the relationships built – and discussions had – between post-show cocktails are probably the most valuable of all! Sharing details of after-show parties might preclude me from getting invited to next year’s show, so you’ll just have to trust me that our prospecting was profitable in the evenings as well as in the day times!

4. “CES has just gotten too big. It’s become more than a consumer electronics industry event – so where will it stop?” 

All I have to say in response to this comment is – thank God there is no east or west hall!

I kept wishing all week that I would run into the many people that I knew were at CES. You know those friends, acquaintances, colleagues that you wouldn’t normally have to schedule time with? But the place was really too big for any chance of ‘bumping into someone’ (other than strangers who don’t realise that it isn’t a good idea to stand and chat on the walkway!)

5. “A massive booth won’t mean much to the media if you don’t have any news.” 

Many booths were definitely impressive. The biggest booths were Samsung, Panasonic and Sony – you couldn’t miss them. The coolest booths were done by Head Candy and Belkin. Head Candy had a freestyle rapper ‘spit’ into his microphone about all of the gadgets the audience was holding. The booth itself was probably one of the smallest on the show floor, but it had a really strong presence. Belkin had a really cool, fashionable, digital home-style booth, which really stood out. The talented guys playing music in the corner did a good job at keeping people engaged.

However, a lot of media probably spent more time offsite than on the floor, as some of the biggest news of the show was found in hotel suites. There are surely many more comments that people have about CES, and about these kinds of trade shows in general. I am sure, though, that everyone in the industry would agree that you just have to be here. Whether you come for the parties, the panel discussions or the booth babes – to not have a presence in Las Vegas during CES is most certainly a missed opportunity.