New Year, New Products: CES Returns To Las Vegas With Its Techie Gadgets, Automation, Mobility Goods; 100,000 Visitors Projected For Consumer Electronics Show This Week
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By Alan Snel, Publisher/Writer
He said his name was Doug and he said he was Denver, though later in our conversation we became even closer acquaintances for me to learn that Doug was actually from Loveland. That’s a small city about 30 miles north of metro Denver.
We were on line to enter the CES Unveiled show at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center, where several hundred upstart companies, entrepreneurs, gadget makers and tech product developers were lined up in a big hall with free beers and wine for all.
It was Media Day at CES, the tech electronic show that comes to Las Vegas during the first week of the new year. It’s by far and away, the biggest trade show in Las Vegas, growing into a monster event that took over all of Vegas’ convention centers and hotel meeting halls up and down the Strip.
CES officially starts Thursday, but we media types — lured by free booze, falafel balls, small stalks of asparagus wrapped in small pieces of roast beef — got a head start Tuesday night in the spacious hall that played home for three and half hours to lots of techie products.
CES show organizers have projected about 100,000 attendees — which is smaller than pre-pandemic numbers but still a strong showing compared to 2021 when CES was scrubbed because of COVID-19 and 2022.
The sports industry typically has a strong showing at CES. But LVSportsBiz.com has learned that NBA Commissioner Adam Silver and NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman will not be attending. Bettman came one year when the NHL began implementing computer sensors in player uniforms to measure skating speed and capture other data.
The “CES Unveiled” included the usual assortment of tech gadgets, with a newsworthy focus on mobility. For example, an open wheel racecar was on display. Ten different race teams from colleges to other groups will operate the driver-less race car at Las Vegas Motor Speedway later this week.
Then, there’s the $4,000 scooter with a screen on its side to watch TV shows and movies. And don’t forget the single-track snowmobile that carries your skis.
The media night is a good venue to chat with exhibitors outside of the traditional show displays because there’s less of a crowd crunch and people are more relaxed. Another media day is scheduled for Wednesday with press conferences at Mandalay Bay Convention Center before the show kicks off Thursday.
