Yes, it is possible to survive CES 2019. Follow these tips to confidently walk the miles of exhibits next week at tech’s biggest trade show in Las Vegas.
I’ve been to Consumer Electronics Show more than 20 times in Las Vegas, and I’ve collected a few tips that will help the newcomers walk the miles of exhibits next week at tech’s biggest trade show in Las Vegas. Yes, it is possible to survive CES 2019 without Vegas nightmares and hangovers.
All told, CES 2019 is expected to draw 180,000 people, roughly the same as last year’s officially audited number of 182,198. Just like last year, you will face bag restrictions and entrance searches at all of the big venues.
Concerns about terrorism, especially in light of the 2017 Mandalay Bay shootings, have had an effect on what you can carry into the show. You can only carry two small laptop-size bags into the show. The media are granted an exception to this rule, so long as they submit to a search and have the bag tagged for approval. That allows me to carry my trademark back-saving backpack roller (which my coworkers have dubbed my secret weapon in years past) into the event.
Last year’s show had highly visible law enforcement officers and K9 (dog) units at the entrances to the venues and on the exhibit floor. That will continue this year, along with random security checks. The baggage rules and added law enforcement presence will likely slow things down a bit. You’ll just have to travel lighter.
The 52nd annual show opens on Sunday, January 6, for the 6,500 or so press attending the show. The press events continue on January 7. But the 2.6 million square feet of exhibit space will open at 10 a.m. Tuesday, January 8. VentureBeat writers Khari Johnson, Jeremy Horwitz, and Kyle Wiggers will join me, and some of my colleagues will be comfortably watching livestreams at home. The latter is a viable option these days.
Gary Shapiro, CEO of the Consumer Technology Association, which puts on the show, told me in an interview last month that the show will have more than 4,500 exhibitors across 2.8 million square feet of exhibit space, up from 4,000 exhibitors and 2.6 million square feet a year ago. The total number of startups in the Eureka Park section of the show is expected to top 1,100, compared to 900 last year.
This year, there are 25 subsections of the show that are dubbed marketplaces, for categories such as drones, robotics, and virtual reality. Based on the pitches I’m getting, I think we’ll see a lot of tech related to artificial intelligence, 5G cellular networks, health-related wearables, blockchain, energy-saving devices, the internet of things, foldable devices, sleep care, smart cars, 3D printers, robots, and drones.
I think of the show as a kind of bellwether for the tech economy, as no other event spans the entire tech world the way CES does. Companies want to create a buzz at CES, whose main purpose is to signal the products that are coming in the next year. I find the show useful to stay up to speed on the latest technology. And despite the government shutdown, we can expect to see Ajit Pai, chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, and Elaine Chao, head of the U. S. Department of Transportation.
Apple doesn’t attend the show, but just about every other tech giant does. It’s where the tech industry will be next week, though it’s not so much of a game event these days. If you’re curious what I got out of last year’s show, here it is.
Many of these tips are recycled from past years. As mentioned, it’s hard to get around at CES. You should keep appointments to a half hour, but note that it takes time to walk between venues. You may encounter delays because other people are behind schedule. And you may even have trouble finding people at large booths. So it’s good to pad your schedule to account for possible delays.
One of last year’s changes was that the CES badges had photos on them, making identification easier and making it harder for people to share badges. Like last year, you can only carry two bags, each smaller than 12 inches by 17 inches by 6 inches. You need to have a CES badge and a government photo ID.
