My First CES: What I Saw, Learned, and Questioned

Last week I attended The Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas for the first time. I work in Business Development and Innovation at the Ad Council and was excited to discover new, innovative companies; potential partners that are using tech to inspire positive change and improve lives. I've always dreamed of going to CES, a conference my dad went to when I was growing up. Today, it's one of the biggest conferences in the world with approximately 170,000 people gathering to learn about the latest in tech and innovation. After spending 5 days at the conference, I wanted to share what I learned, both from an innovation and practical perspective.

Tech that blew my mind

• Smart Fridges: Samsung had an entire section for their Smart Home tech and I was so impressed by their new fridge: Family Hub 2.0. They have built in cameras that identify the food on the shelves. You can add an expiration date and the fridge will remind you when the food is about to go bad. I couldn’t help but think about how this tech will reduce unnecessary food waste. They’ll start at $5,799 with no specific release date as of yet. 

• AR glasses: I demoed the first generation of Vuzix eyeware to get a feel for hands free mobile commuting. When you’re wearing the glasses you can see information like your text messages, heart rate, or GPS information projected in front of you like a hologram. The GPS function would have been great to have while trying to navigate the CES conference floor! I also could pick up and move virtual objects placed in front of me like I was playing a video game. I love the idea of not needing to look down at my phone anymore and imagine this will prevent distracted driving! (Vuzix website)

• The Beam: Suitable Tech launched a product that will change conference calls forever. It’s an eye level free standing machine with a camera and wheels to make it mobile. It allows a person that is remote to feel like they are present and right in the room. I had a conversation with Trevor while he was in San Francisco and we walked around the conference room together. I work remote in San Francisco and would love to use the Beam to have face to face meetings as well as participate in any NYC all staff events that I’m unable to attend. The beam also has the ability to share your screen which is so convenient for conference calls. 

• Wearable Breast Pump: Willow introduced a wearable breast pump this year that will completely transform mother’s lives. No external tubes, chords or dangling bottles. With an all-in-one design, Willow works quietly inside the bra, collects breast milk in an internal bag, and tracks the volume through an app. You can move freely and do things while you pump. This will be super liberating for working and traveling mothers! 

• Playbrush: Children are not brushing their teeth properly (2 minutes, twice a day) and it’s resulting in various health issues. I found the new Playbrush gadget a brilliant invention for children’s oral health. A rubber piece goes on the end of your child's toothbrush and activates a digital game (via an app) that is synced to the movement. It ensures they brush their entire mouth for 2 minutes at the right speeds. (I took a video of the demo here).

The best CES party

• Twitter #Afterdark at Rose.Rabbit.Lie (Cosmopolitan): this party had everything you wanted: great music (DJ Skee was on the 1s and 2s), great networking (I ran into most of my colleagues which allowed for introductions to new people. I saw people I haven't seen in a few years and loved reconnecting!), great late night munchies (chicken and waffles, need I say more?), social photo booth (it's Twitter after all #awesome), and lots of space to move around.

What Saved Me

• Planning ahead - The day before leaving, I dedicated time to looking at the official CES schedule and cross referenced it with all the separate pop up events, panels and parties as well as meetings we had planned. I spent almost 2 hours putting together a massive excel document that listed everything I wanted to do - by the hour. While it was a tedious exercise, I found it very helpful to use as a guide every day. 
• Booking a Walking Tour – Most media companies have exclusive CES walking tours scheduled for their clients. You’re hooked up to headphones and follow a tech expert around the conference center. I had the opportunity to attend CNet’s walking tour with Publicis Media Groupe. CNet’s Editor in Chief, Conni Guglielmo, walked us through different exhibits, highlighting the most innovative tech launching in 2017. 

• Taking Breaks - as hectic as it was to fit in my afternoon meditation, I am so happy I made the time to do it. I would find a comfy chair in the hotel lobby and shut my eyes for 20 minutes. Meditation is 5 times deeper than sleep and was exactly what I needed after being on my feet all day. It gave me energy to keep going! 

I wish I would have known

• Eureka Park/Venetian Sands Conference Center is the highlight of CES - I waited until the very last day to visit Sands and wish I had spent more time there. Eureka Park is where all the up and coming start-ups showcase their big ideas and I found it to be fascinating. It’s a massive conference room with entrepreneurs in booth after booth pitching their products. I was so impressed by the health and food tech concepts. 
• It’s COLD in the desert! At one point my weather app said 34 degrees and that was sunny early afternoon. I definitely didn't dress warm enough and wish I'd brought a better jacket. The air is also really dry so make sure you have chapstick handy! 
• It takes forever to get around. Book a hotel that is closest to where you're going to spend most of your time. In hindsight, I would have booked at either Aria (where most of the media talks were happening) or the Venetian (which is where the coolest tech was). CES takes place at the various locations and while the strip is only 4 miles long, it can take up to 45 minutes to get from one hotel to another. The cab lines at each hotel are pretty long and it wasn't always easy to get an uber.
• 5 days in Vegas is a long time. Even though the conference lasts 5 days, you don't need to attend all 5 days for it to be a successful trip. The average length of stay is 3 days with the most important days being Thursday and Friday. By day 5, I was exhausted and ready to come home!

Don’t forget:

• Experience Las Vegas - The city has a lot to offer and I believe it's healthy to give yourself some down time while on a work trip. My colleague and I decided to spend our last night watching the Cirque du Soleil performance of Ka. It was one of the best performances I’ve experienced and a great way to cap off a successful work trip. 

I hope this CES recap is useful for those interested in attending CES in the future. My Twitter handle is @lauriekeith – I’d love to connect with you there and answer any questions!

Article posted on Marketing Land