CES 2025 ideas and methods: A information to tech’s largest commerce present

CES 2025 is coming to Las Vegas in the course of the week of January 5, and it will likely be one of many largest tech expos on this planet once more.

This 12 months’s present needs to be large once more. Final 12 months’s attendance reached 138,789, based on an audited report by the Client Expertise Affiliation (CTA), the group that places on the present.

Final 12 months at CES 2024, I recorded round 80 press occasions, interviews, and periods. I walked 46.78 miles, or 105,407 steps, over six days. My toes damage and my again have been sore. There have been greater than 4,300 exhibitors and a pair of.4 million sq. toes of exhibit area to crawl. And the Goodyear blimp was there.

I’ve been attending the Consumer Electronics Show for the reason that Nineteen Nineties when then-Microsoft CEO Bill Gates gave the opening keynote speeches yearly. This time, the most important speech will come from Jensen Huang, CEO of Nvidia, the graphics chip maker that has change into the king of AI {hardware} with a market worth of $3.42 trillion — probably the most priceless firm on this planet.

He’ll give a chat at 6:30 p.m. Pacific time on the Michelob Enviornment on the Mandalay Bay on January 6. Most attendees arrive on the present on January 7 and keep by January 10, when the expos are open. However the press — a number of thousand of us — begin arriving on January 5 for the afternoon previews and CES Unveiled (press solely, in Mandalay Bay), the place award-winning exhibitors present their wares at tables.

“The CES is a tremendous, highly effective tech occasion. I used to be wanting again at what you had written final 12 months about it, earlier than and after,” stated Gary Shapiro, CEO of the Client Expertise Affiliation, in an interview with GamesBeat. “Lots of people go together with a really full agenda, however we at all times say you must have time for serendipity and discovery. We’ve got a brand new look, a brand new really feel. We targeted the marketing campaign on “Dive in.” We’re inviting attendees to do three issues: join, clear up, and uncover.”

He stated the typical attendee has about 29 conferences in the course of the present, as face-to-face enterprise remains to be necessary. About 75% of attendees say their enterprise is primarily B2B, or each B2B and B2C.

My No. 1 tip is to at all times put on snug footwear. I discovered that lesson after some blisters throughout a CES years in the past. As for a masks, I put on it on planes and sometimes throughout large, crowded indoor occasions. However issues have modified for the reason that COVID days when the present was canceled outright in January 2021 and severely restricted in January 2022, with solely 45,000 exhibiting up.

A lot of my recommendation shouldn’t be rocket science. However I renew this story yearly since there are new folks attending the present and lots of going again for the primary time. I take no duty for dangerous recommendation. You possibly can try the CES app here.

Attendance shouldn’t be fairly the place it as soon as was. Again in 2019, the present drew 175,212 in 2019 and 171,268 in 2020. CES 2020 had about 4,500 exhibitors throughout 2.9 million sq. toes of area. This 12 months, the present is not less than a number of days after New Yr’s and that provides some respiratory room for these planning on going.

Must you go?

It’s a giant present, and, in contrast to the gaming {industry}’s canceled E3 present, it’s nonetheless related. Final 12 months, there have been 5,355 media final 12 months, up from 4,800 media attending CES 2023, up from 3,100 media at CES 2022. Eureka Park on the Venetian’s Sands Expo had greater than 1,400 startups.

There have been 46,000 worldwide guests, or 40.6% of the whole, final 12 months. Some 5,975 have been from the Americas outdoors the U.S., 12,424 have been from Europe, 36,017 have been from the Center East and Asia, 229 have been from Africa and 552 have been from Oceania. About 15,723 have been presidents or founders, or 11.7% of general attendance, and one other 12,768, or 9.5%, have been C-suite executives.

Final 12 months’s prime areas of curiosity have been AI, automobile tech, IoT sensors, smarthomes and home equipment, AR/XR/VR, robotics, advertising and promoting, startups, video applied sciences, 5G, vitality/energy, cloud computing/information and health/wearables.

The 12 months earlier than, the highest areas of curiosity have been AI, IoT/sensors, automobile expertise, AR/VR/XR, smarthomes and home equipment, 5G, robotics, startups, vitality/energy, health and wearables and advertising and promoting.

I nonetheless view CES as a bellwether for the tech financial system, as no different occasion spans all the tech world prefer it does. Corporations wish to create a buzz at CES, which is designed to sign merchandise coming within the subsequent 12 months. I discover the present a helpful method to keep up to the mark on the most recent expertise. In case you discover the well being threat acceptable, then it might nonetheless be a priceless method to keep in contact.

Apple doesn’t attend the present, however nearly each different tech large does. It’s the place the tech {industry} can be subsequent week, although it’s not a lot of a recreation occasion as of late. Sony, nonetheless, can be exhibiting up and they’re anticipated to indicate off the Afeela electrical automobile (created with Honda) full with a PlayStation 5 within the automobile on the present.

Since 2020, CES official exhibit venues have been geared up with improved air flow programs and recent air circulate. 

The Las Vegas Conference Heart, Mandalay Bay and the Venetian Expo have been awarded International Biorisk Advisory Council (GBAC) Star certification by ISSA. This accreditation means the properties are observing cleansing protocols and work practices that reduce dangers related to the unfold of infectious illnesses. 

Once more in 2025, CES will work to attenuate floor contact factors and enhance recent airflow at high-traffic areas. 

Hand sanitization stations can be positioned all through CES venues.  Pack heat as Vegas in January is a mean of 57 levels.

Masks can be found onsite. In case you select to not put on one, please respect these round you who do, the CTA says.

Getting your badge and moving into the present

It’s a must to work within the tech {industry} to get into the present. It’s a spot for professionals, not vacationers, and registration is designed to display screen the vacationers out. With 140,000 or extra folks on the present, you don’t wish to get caught in lengthy traces.

All present attendees, together with media and particular person exhibitor personnel should choose up their very own CES 2025 official badge at a remote badge pickup location You can not choose up badges for different attendees. I normally choose mine up on the Las Vegas airport.

To select up your badge at a distant badge choose up location, it’s essential to current the next: Authorities-issued picture ID and a registration affirmation – both saved in your Google or Apple pockets or affirmation e mail with QR code to scan.

Safety

The CTA said its security measures imply attendees will face a bag search on the entrance to all present venues.

A singular e mail deal with is required for every registrant. CES badges embody a photograph ID for attendees, exhibitors and media.

Date of delivery will once more be required in step with steering from federal regulation enforcement and {industry} finest practices.

At CES 2025, the CTA stated you’ll discover a extremely seen regulation enforcement presence all through the present and in any respect venues. Legislation enforcement officers and K9 (canine) models can be at each the entrances to the venues and on the exhibit flooring. The venues can be performing random safety checks on present premises.

As an enhanced safety measure, the CTA is are implementing a automobile deterrence plan in and round key venues.

In case you see one thing suspicious, please report it to CES through the safety telephone numbers printed on the again of your CES badge. Venue safety numbers might also be discovered on the On-Website Companies web page. You can even ask any CES employees member or venue or safety personnel. It’s possible you’ll contact CES Safety or venue safety by the CES App within the Safety part.

Attendees might carry two small luggage, every smaller than 12”x17”x6” into present venues. Attendees are inspired to think about their bag sort and use clear luggage (mesh, plastic, vinyl, and so forth.) to expedite entry.

Rolling luggage of any dimension are prohibited together with baggage, carry-ons, laptop computer and pc luggage, and rolling baggage carts.

Media with an official media badge are permitted to hand-carry gear onto present premises in extra of the two-bag restriction. Tools is topic to go looking and tagged as authorized for entry.

Exhibitors are permitted to deliver product and show materials onto CES present premises in extra of our two-bag restriction, starting January 6 and prior to eight a.m. on present days January 7-10. Exhibitors might also usher in supplies on move-in days between 7:30 a.m. and 6 p.m.

It’s best to go away your luggage at your resort. Nonetheless, there are bag-check amenities at LVCC outdoors of Central and West Halls, Venetian Expo, Stage 1 Foyer; and the Venetian Ballroom Lobby.

Peak occasions for CES crowds

The press occasions begin late on January 5 and proceed all day on January 6. That’s when a lot of the tales will run from CES bulletins, with some show-only bulletins taking place on January 7.

Along with Nvidia’s Huang, different keynote audio system embody

Panasonic Holdings Group CEO Yuki Kusumi, who’s doing the morning keynote on Tuesday January 7 at 8:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. with Shapiro of the CTA and Kinsey Fabrizio, president of the CTA.

Jennifer Witz, CEO of SiriusXM, is talking with podcaster Ashley Flowers at 11 a.m. Tuesday January 7 on the Aria.

Linda Yaccarino, CEO of X, is talking at 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday January 7 at The Venetian.

Ed Bastian, CEO of Delta, goes to be one of many highlights partially as a result of he’s received an ideal location: The Sphere, the spherical live performance venue with wonderful particular results. He’s talking at 4:55 p.m. on the Sphere on Tuesday January 7. We’ll see what Delta has to say about expertise, contemplating it will likely be celebrating its one hundredth birthday as an organization.

The keynotes wrap up on Wednesday January 8 with Martin Lundstedt, CEO of Volvo Group, at 9 a.m. at The Venetian; Julie Candy, CEO of Accenture at 2 p.m. Wednesday January 8.

There are many different panels. I’m moderating a session on AI and video games. It’s known as Velocity, Customization, Innovation: AI in Gaming, going down on the Aria Joshua 8 at 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Tuesday January 7. It’s about unleashing the facility of AI in recreation improvement. It’s about studying how publishers and builders use AI to hurry up releases and design and tailor video games for gamers.

My panelists embody Burcu Hakguder, cofounder and CRO, Layer; Emilee Helm, head of influencers, Gamesight; Haval Othman, senior director of expertise engineering at HP; and Devin Reimer, founder and CEO at AstroBeam.

Press days

As I discussed, the press day will begin on Sunday January 5 with a chat (solely press allowed) in regards to the CTA’s view of traits to look at. That may result in the press-only occasion, CES Unveiled, at 5 p.m. on the Mandalay Bay. That’s the place we get a primary have a look at the award winners for the CTA innovation contest.

Then comes (for the media) a baptism of fireside beginning on Monday at 8 a.m. Pacific with LG’s press convention. It peaks with Samsung’s press occasion at 2 p.m. and continues on to Sony’s 5 p.m. press occasion on the Las Vegas Conference Heart. These press occasions occur in speedy fireplace and it’s an actual problem to maintain up with the information. Fortuitously, lots of the occasions are livestreamed for non-press to look at.

That is the day once I want the laptop computer with the longest battery life. (Sure, that’s nonetheless a problem). Then the press and others can head to the opening keynote speech for Jensen Huang, CEO of Nvidia, on the Mandalay Bay’s Michelob Enviornment at 6:30 p.m. I’m unsure how I’m going to go from the Mandalay Bay to the conference middle and again to the Mandalay Bay is such a short while body. CES is all about such logistical nightmares and complicated options to them.

There may be additionally a giant press-only get together at Pepcom’s Digital Expertise at Caesars Palace (RSVPs required) on January 6 (7 p.m. to 10:30 p.m., after Huang’s speech), and the rival Showstoppers press-only get together takes place on the Bellagio on the night of January 7.

This 12 months, Tuesday is when the actual crowds present up, and also you’ll discover it in eating places, transportation traces, conference halls, on line casino flooring, and on the airport. Let’s hope the climate can be good, in distinction to the torrential rains we noticed in 2018, when blackouts took out the primary present flooring.

In case you’re leaving the conference focus on 6 p.m., you possibly can catch a bus to a lot of the main accommodations. That’s an effective way to get off your toes and the traces can transfer quick. However that’s additionally the busiest visitors time. You’ll need to stroll (maybe a good distance) to designated areas for Uber/Lyft ride-sharing pickup zones. And there’s the monorail to think about as nicely for some accommodations.

Getting misplaced within the maze

The two.5 million-plus sq. toes of exhibition area will open at 10 a.m. on Tuesday January 7.

The classes at this 12 months’s exhibit area embody automobile tech and superior mobility, digital well being, audio/video, gaming, sensible residence, AI/robotics, sensible cities and sustainability, C Area, sports activities and health tech, enterprise and B2B, IoT infrastructure, metaverse, fintech, way of life, accessibility, Eureka Park (startups), 3D printing and area tech.

In case you’re actually bold, you may be strolling 30,000 steps a day, about three to 6 occasions as a lot as traditional. For me, exhaustion units in round 20,000 steps. In case you can lower some pointless strolling out of your day, that will be sensible to do.

This 12 months’s venues have been renamed the LVCC Campus (Las Vegas Conference Heart West Corridor, North Corridor, South Corridor and Central Corridor), Venetian Campus(The Venetian, Palazzo, Wynn, Encore at Wynn) and C Area Campus (Aria, Cosmopolitan, Park MGM and Vdara).

The LVCC campus has the sprawling South Halls 1, 2 and three (upstairs) with all kinds of merchandise. The Central Corridor consists of gaming, audio and video with big firms like Samsung, Sony, TCL, Canon, and extra. The North Corridor consists of classes like AI, B2B enterprise options, fintech, IoT infrastructure, sustainability, sensible cities, sensible cities IoT and automobile tech.

The West Corridor is filled with automobile tech with firms like Brunswick within the marine class, John Deere in heavy equipment, carmakers, EVs and eVTOL plane, self-driving automobiles, software program, suppliers and automobile tech.

Over on the Venetian, there are greater than 1,400 startups that can be at Eureka Park. Tech West is a bunch of pavilions on the Venetian. There are tons of startups on Stage 1. Yow will discover regional cubicles similar to these from France, India, The occupying Zionist entity, Italy, the Netherlands and extra. On Stage 2, yow will discover AARP AgeTech, Kohler, Hyundai, Narwal, and extra.

One of the vital often visited halls at LVCC was the South Corridor, however this 12 months the multi-level corridor is closed.

In Tech South, at Aria Resort, yow will discover C Area, which is the place there are numerous talks about Hollywood and expertise. The Cosmopolitan has Cosmo exhibitors that embody Nvidia, Disney, Paramount, NBC Common, Netflix, Reddit, Roku, Samsung, T-Cellular, and Snap.

What’s trending and what’s not

Whereas blockchain and the metaverse have been large themes a number of years in the past, AI was the large theme for 2024. In 2025, AI will nonetheless command numerous consideration. However that doesn’t imply that tech increase goes to occur. The worldwide financial system faces numerous unknowns, like how pleasant towards tech and client gross sales the Trump administration can be, particularly if Donald Trump is threatening tariffs. Tariffs might result in commerce wars and that might imply a $300 to $500 recreation console might all of a sudden price $1,000.

Tim Bajarin, who’s going to his fiftieth CES, expects these traits: AI PCs are in every single place; earbuds can be smarter and smarter; smarter automobiles; smarter and better decision TVs; AI in every single place else; and spatial computing will make many appearances with XR/AR goggles or glasses.

Beneath the “join” a part of the theme of the present, Shapiro stated one main matter is human safety for all.

” We talked about human safety for all, our work with the United Nations specializing in the sustainable improvement objectives, specializing in basic human safety in areas like well being care, funds, private security. We see that in all kinds of the way. After all accessibility is one other large factor. Even for me, attending the present in 2024, that was one of many largest surprises and themes,” Shapiro stated. “I don’t suppose I even talked about that earlier than the present – how many individuals have been there looking on behalf of the incapacity group, and what number of firms have been responding to that with all kinds of expertise.”

Requested about different sizzling classes, Shapiro stated, “Clearly AI remains to be a giant factor. It pervades virtually each class. Digital well being can also be very large. Mobility is big with electrical automobiles and linked automobiles, autonomy, sustainability. We’ve carried out our personal pivots as nicely. The idea of electrical energy being accessible shouldn’t be one thing we’ve talked about at CES earlier than. Now we’ve got a complete convention observe on it. With electrical automobiles, generative AI, and quantum, all of them use large quantities of electrical energy that we’re not ready for. Not stunning to me, numerous firms within the final month have introduced offers with nuclear energy crops and issues like that, which is completely new, however it’s a method of coping with it.”

And Shapiro stated, “We’ll have exhibitors specializing in vitality financial savings on the provision facet, warmth discount, native manufacturing. We’ll even have panels speaking about how we will have a look at the electrical grid. Equally to that vein, we’ll have a shift that we haven’t had earlier than to quantum computing. We’ve got a half day of programming on that. Whereas AI and generative AI is at the moment the factor, now generative AI doesn’t get you to the end line with numerous issues, for instance in well being care. It’s a complete shift upwards in computing that we haven’t had in a very long time.”

Regulators can be current, and Shapiro stated (earlier than the election happened) he was involved that the U.S. has change into too aggressive in blocking mergers for antitrust causes. He worries that the Biden administration has been anti-innovation. I famous that I’d like to see us return to balanced development, the place we see innovation with AI, job development for tech, and income development for firms all on the identical time.

Shapiro stated, “What I’ve discovered in my profession is that you just by no means get to excellent, however you simply attempt to do higher than you probably did final 12 months. The definition of excellent modifications. I don’t suppose, in a free market financial system, that excellent is the place everybody will get to maintain their jobs. It’s a must to study new expertise.”

He added, “There may be one other principle on the market, although, which is that it’ll add extra free time, and that can generate its personal financial development. My spouse goes to numerous medical conferences, and there’s a generational distinction between medical doctors in that the incoming medical doctors don’t wish to work as exhausting. They need common hours. They don’t need the prolonged hours. I’ve been speaking about this for 2 years now. It’s true, and I do know this as a result of I’ve talked to sufficient medical doctors in numerous fields about it. Individuals need time now. It in all probability predated COVID. Individuals worth expertise and time. That’s what it’s.”

Your CES survival ideas

A lot of the following tips are recycled from previous years, however I’ve gone by and renewed them with my newest data. As I discussed, it’s exhausting to get round at CES. It’s best to maintain appointments to a half hour however be aware that it takes time to stroll between venues. It’s possible you’ll not understand it however the distance between accommodations (that are very giant) and halls might look visually shut however they’re usually actually far aside.

It’s possible you’ll encounter delays as a result of different persons are delayed. And it’s possible you’ll even have bother discovering folks at giant cubicles. So, it’s good to pad your schedule to account for potential delays and isolate the actually necessary appointments.

The CES badges now have pictures on them, streamlining identification and making it tougher for folks to share badges. Since they’re paper badges (plastic eradicated within the identify of sustainability), you must watch out to not lose them.

In your crowded flights, attempt to journey gentle. For Southwest, I at all times examine in forward of boarding, setting an alarm for precisely 24 hours earlier than my flight. Test your baggage in the event you don’t need to get anyplace shortly. Be ready for lengthy cab traces and rental automobile check-in traces. (Companies like Uber and Lyft are very helpful at CES, significantly as parking shouldn’t be plentiful sufficient and the large casinos/accommodations now cost a price per go to at their self-parking garages). I don’t hire a automobile anymore. On the airport, you must stroll to a delegated space in a parking storage and discover your rideshare in a selected parking slot to get out of the airport in an Uber/Lyft.

Uber and Lyft automobiles are actually the way in which to journey from venue to venue now. In previous years I discovered that the pickup on the LVCC (close to the Renaissance Resort) was a visitors logjam. The Tesla tunnel (the place Tesla EVs take an underground tunnel from one location to a different) is nice for attending to a number of the accommodations and between the central corridor and the west corridor of the LVCC. The tunnel now goes to the Resorts World Las Vegas, Westgate Las Vegas Resort & On line casino, Encore Las Vegas and Virgin Accommodations Las Vegas.

Schedule your appointments in places which can be close to one another, and examine exhibitor places on a CES map. Arrive early for keynotes as a result of the traces are lengthy. I don’t usually stray past LVCC/WestHall/TechWest/Venetian because of the time it takes to get different locations.

I like to recommend sleep. The Vegas air is tremendous dry so perhaps use a humidier or nostril spray. If the events are what you care about, there are sometimes get together lists that flow into. You possibly can Google CES 2025 get together lists, however the KarenNet CES party listm has been around for a very long time.

Keep in mind to swap telephone numbers with the folks you’re assembly so you possibly can coordinate, significantly as somebody is normally held up by the crowds. Incorporate driving and consuming occasions into your calendar or use a calendar that does that routinely for you.

Smartphone reception is healthier than it was once, however it’s nonetheless in all probability vulnerable to interference. Textual content message is normally a good method to talk with coworkers. We at all times search out the Wi-Fi/5G havens within the press rooms or wherever we will discover them.

However carry a MiFi or activate a private hotspot in the event you can; even resort web connections are prone to be careworn to the restrict in the course of the present. In case you’re chargeable for importing video, thanks for clogging the community for the remainder of us. By CES 2025, I hopefully received’t need to complain about this, as 5G networks ought to theoretically allow quicker connection speeds on mobile information.

In case you gather numerous swag, you possibly can ship it residence through delivery providers as a substitute of carting it on the airplane. I think that the price of delivery might be higher than the worth of the swag.

It’s best to print a map of the exhibit flooring or rip one out of the present information. You also needs to print your tickets, schedule, and RSVPs for occasions — or make them simply accessible in your telephone. (If somebody steals your telephone or your major bag, it’s best to have backups in a second bag).

You want battery backup in your laptop computer or smartphone, hand sanitizer, an excellent digicam, ibuprofen, and nutritional vitamins. I’ve received Acer Swift Go 14 and a spare Dynabook laptop computer this 12 months. The Acer particularly has an excellent battery life. Carry a backup for every thing, even when you must go away it in your resort room this 12 months.

I used to suggest taking enterprise playing cards. I lastly printed a batch for the primary time for the reason that pandemic. Now you possibly can swap your LinkedIn credentials with folks through your smartphone. In case you’re exhibiting, put on your organization model in your shirt. Attempt very exhausting to keep away from shedding your telephone. I put on a jacket with zippered pockets so I can put my telephone and pockets inside.

Make a while to stroll the present flooring. If the cab/rideshare traces have you ever annoyed, don’t take into consideration strolling to a close-by resort. Likelihood is the cab line there may be additionally dangerous, and the accommodations are so big {that a} mirage impact makes them look deceptively shut. When you have a rental automobile, attempt to not get caught in a visitors jam in a 10-story parking storage. And at all times mark down the place you parked your automobile in your telephone map or paper.

Drink numerous water. Get some sleep — you actually don’t need to get together each night time. For probably the most half, I don’t shake palms anymore, because it’s an effective way to cross germs round. As a substitute, I do fist bumps. You don’t wish to come again sick with “CES crud” or COVID.

Don’t miss your flight on the way in which out. Pack up a bunch of snacks early on to keep away from getting caught in breakfast or lunch traces. Take a smartphone with an excellent digicam as a result of what occurs in Vegas … will get shared on the web.