It’s hard not to get caught up in the metrics at CES – the sheer magnitude of the event is staggering and it’s fun to try to quantify the size and scope of this show.
A number of you have asked me what it’s like at CES. Some of you also tell me that it is a goal of yours to get to CES one day. To that end, I wouldn’t hesitate to advise you to go sooner rather than later to this show. In a week or so, I’ll have another post about the importance of attending an event like CES.
But for now, perhaps the best way for me to describe what this year’s CES was all about is to go to the tape. Here’s a rundown of CES records (marked with *), as well as my estimates (designed with +).
- Attendance: 153,000*
- International attendees: 34,000
- New products unveiled: 20,000
- Car companies represented: 7+
- “Booth babes”: ??
- Exhibitors: 3,100*
- Exhibitor space used (sq. ft.): 1,860,000*
- Number of miles walked (me): 22+
- Number of monorail rides (me): 7
- Number of hours spent in casinos (me): 0
- Number of dollars lost in casinos (me): 0
- Broadcast radio people in attendance (excluding exhibitors): 7+
- Broadcast radio exhibitors: 2+
- Broadcast radio owners in attendance: 1+
- Justin Bieber sightings: 1
- Apple exhibit: 0
- Apple employees: 250+
- Apple peripheral products/accessories: Hundreds+
So what are my takeaways? From a “Companies you know” point of view, I only saw iHeartRadio and iBiquity, along with a handful of radio people (including some covering the event), and one owner (Jerry Lee). Yes, it would be nice to see broadcast radio better represented at CES. (If I missed you or your company, please let me know.)
The car company presence was impressive. CES consolidated them into an area of the floor, making it easy to stroll from one to the next. Cadillac, Ford, and Mercedes offered the most impressive information/entertainment systems. At times you couldn’t tell whether you were at CES or the Detroit Auto Show (known now as NAIAS).
Ford had their Evos concept on display (pictured) – a cloud-connected vehicle that links the car to your home and office – something we could all use right about now.
The number of products and companies that have been spawned by Apple are inestimable. The impact of Steve Jobs on consumer electronics – and this show – is astonishing. Everywhere you go, it is iPhone cases, iPad stands, and hundreds of other products made for these devices. While Apple does not exhibit at CES, they apparently sent an estimated 250 employees to the show.
The influence of the smartphone – notably the iPhone – is also incalculable. It was no surprise to see the impact of mobile on cars. And now, it seems like every hotel has their own app, and of course, CES has one, too. But it’s products like spin bikes, lounge chairs, and other supposedly non-electronic products that now connect to smartphones that are truly amazing.
Five years ago, smartphones were just bubbling under. Today, all you hear at CES is mobile, the cloud, connectivity, and personalization. I am proud of our research study, “Goin’ Mobile,” that we conducted with Arbitron because it was predictive of the explosion that has occurred with smartphones and their omnipresence in our lives and in our businesses.
Oh, one more thing. Those Ultrabooks are awesome (and expensive, for now) – another product influenced by Apple.
Hope to see you at CES next year.
And thanks to Jim Barry and his great PR staff at CES for helping make it a bit easier.
Jacobs Media has consistently walked the walk in the digital space, providing insights and guidance through its well-read national Techsurveys.
In 2008, jacapps was launched - a mobile apps company that has designed and built more than 1,300 apps for both the Apple and Android platforms. In 2013, the DASH Conference was created - a mashup of radio and automotive, designed to foster better understanding of the "connected car" and its impact.
Along with providing the creative and intellectual direction for the company, Fred consults many of Jacobs Media's commercial and public radio clients, in addition to media brands looking to thrive in the rapidly changing tech environment.
Fred was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 2018.
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