CES Scales Up While Companies Push Back

The Consumer Electronics Show is being pushed in ever-more-glamorous directions as organizers attempt to top themselves every year. Much like the final years of the E3 event, this week's showcase will feature loud music and brightly-lit stages. At the same time, also mirroring E3, the big businesses that drive CES are starting to rethink the need for the event itself. The New York Times reports: "Technology companies now frequently introduce their products elsewhere, in an effort to reach consumers more directly. The Apple iPhone, the Nintendo Wii and other recent must-haves were not unveiled at C.E.S. One of the industry's biggest hits in 2007 was the Flip Video camcorder, an easy-to-use pocket-size device that sells for $120. Executives from Pure Digital Technologies, its maker, visited Las Vegas last year during the show but kept to their hotel suite at the Wynn."

Booth space

[JoeCommodore]

From what I had read floor booth rental can be from 5 to 6 figures (not including the actual hardware of your display, any tech support and staffing. Depending on how cheap your Co is, how well they expect revenue to be, or if they just don't have much to show off, it may be a pretty tough sell.

Re:Public admission?

[Bryansix]

The CES show is technically only open to people in the trade and journalists. It's not hard to get in though and I'm sure anybody here could do it. I've been twice in my lifetime. Things I noticed about the show that were not expected... There were more exotic cars in the Car Audio hall then at the entire LA Auto show. There were also plenty of game booths setup to play Xbox or PC games. Overall, the show is interesting but if I was in the trade I wouldn't see it as NEEDED. Also as a side note, most people who "are going to the CES show" are really next door at the Adult Entertainment Expo.