I don’t know about you, but as exciting and amazing CES was, one word came to mind, overwhelming! I think Vestel had the right idea when they placed bouquets of red roses on the meeting tables. It brought a sense of serenity to the chaotic floor, even if it’s just for the 15 – 60 minutes during meeting time.
CES is the world’s gathering place for all those who thrive on the business of consumer technologies. This year, over 182,000 people attended CES, more than 4400 companies exhibited, and 1000+ speakers graced the panels and stages. Don’t miss next year’s event from January 7th-10th, 2020 in Las Vegas.
I decided to highlight my Top 10 #CoolAndClever Experiences, but it wasn’t easy. To be fair, I did not see all 4400 exhibitors at CES. However, I do know it’s very hard for brands to compete with the giants on the floor. I’m talking about the likes of Sony, Samsung, LG, Panasonic, Nikon, Intel, Huawei, Hisense, Audi, Nissan, IBM and Bosch. Scroll down to get a glimpse of these behemoths, but let’s first dive in and learn more about these cool products and clever exhibits. This year, it was all about the 5G, 8K and AI.
AVITA “makes premium technology products that not only fit your lifestyle but are representations of you.” I chose Avita because I thought they did a good job creating vignettes for their product especially the laptop. See video here. The booth was open and inviting, and the laptop vignette pulled you in. Loved the way they created a lifestyle for each laptop color. I think that’s pretty clever. Made me want to buy one! Visit their shop and check out the beautifully designed AVITA Clarus and Liber laptops.”
ShadeCraft Robotics “is a technology platform company in Los Angeles with a mission to improve human life outdoors through robotic technology and industrial design.” Shadecraft unveiled Bloom at CES. It converts your existing parasol into a smart device that recognizes wind, opens and closes automatically. Option for voice or app control and compatible with Alexa. Shop Bloom, Sunflower and Blossom now at Shadecraft. Their booth was very simple but powerful. Like a trophy, the umbrellas were displayed on platforms. Demos of the smart device and parasols took place throughout the day, while the center tower looped a video reel of the product commercial.
Vestel Technologies “Comprised of 24 companies, the Vestel Group is a multi-industry manufacturer, which operates in electronics, household appliances, mobile technologies, LED lighting and defense.” They did a great job creating vignettes to highlight their 5 main product lines. It was very easy to visualize the best ways to use the product in everyday life. The hospitality bar in the back area added a nice touch for their customers to enjoy food and beverages during the meetings.
Furrion offers “a wide range of modern and stylish cooktops, entertainment systems, speakers, LED TVs and power cables and connectors for home, RVs and yachts.” Out of all the exhibits at CES, these guys probably had the most buzz on and off the show floor. I heard about them before I even got to the show floor, before CES opened. Most everyone knew about the 78′ yacht known as the Adonis. Add a DJ at the back of the boat, VIP tours through the yacht and it’s the coolest party on the show floor. Check out the video here. Talk about a splash! Read more about it at Furrion Brings Luxury to the High Seas at CES 2019.
Read all about Hyundai’s Walking Car Concept here: Hyundai’s Walking Car Concept is a Highlight of CES 2019. Hyundai is “continuously driven by a singular passion: to make your ownership experience as rewarding as possible. This is the Hyundai Way.” All white fabric booth, surrounding LED screen and futuristic simulation pods. I absolutely loved this booth. Check out the video here. It was sleek, fresh, clean, creative and made me want to buy a Hyundai. I never owned a Hyundai…but maybe it’s time. Just maybe.
Amazon Alexa at CES is the future. I would say she’s more popular than Siri or Bixby. Now, she can pretty much move in with you and be your personal assistant, or your shadow. I’m not so sure I want a virtual assistant that can have access to me at any given time. I’m still a little old school. As much as I love my phones, I still like my calendar notebook. Amazon took up a ballroom all to its lonesome at the Sands, but they weren’t very lonely. They had many, many visitors who were eager to meet the all new and improved Alexa. See a sample video here. My favorite was the smart glasses by North Focals featuring virtual summaries, smart text & emojis and voice to text. Now that’s clever.
JAXJOX “is a global fitness technology company creating a variety of highly designed connected fitness products.” This was a fun booth. Simple and to the point. They were launching the all new smart KettlebellConnect, It is the first of its kind. 6 Weights in one place allow you to change between 12 and 42 pounds in under 3 seconds. The product was displayed clearly at the perimeter of the booth, a video played a commercial and a health model demonstrated the Kettlebell in a fun lifestyle vignette complete with dance music. Check out the video here. Clearly, we all must have one of these smart kettlebells.
Pico Brew “created the world’s first automatic all-grain home brewing appliance. Choose from over 100 recipes or create your own, all at the touch of a button.” If you ever wanted to brew your own craft beer and more from your home, Pico Brew has the answers for you. Shop online for their line of products. I remember seeing these guys 3 years ago at CES, and I thought they had a cool product then. The company has grown since and tripled the size of their booth space. They consider themselves a DIY type of company, so they built all their booth components on their own. Most of their guys are engineers by nature, so it’s no surprise that they would do that. I did get to sit down with their creative guy. Being that they manufacture brewing products, they wanted the booth to feel like a neighborhood bar. They chose wood tones and material for a warm environment and added the basketball game where attendees can compete and win prizes. It obviously works for them, so that “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” saying will do for now.
Clarisonic debuts at the Sands Expo during #CES2019. See their latest product here. “Clarisonic has transformed the skin of millions of customers with its game-changing technology and results that inspire lifelong loyalty.” Their booth was busy. It was a little more closed off than I would prefer, but to each his own. I thought the whole social media theme was pretty cool. I like that they had a wall dedicated to the selfie campaign where you had to snap a picture at the booth and tag it #ClarisonicCES2019. I’m sure that created a pretty good buzz during the show. I just wished the wall wasn’t by itself facing the aisle. It wasn’t much interaction with the booth staff from that side of the wall, but at any rate, even cooler that you get to print your pic right there and place your pic on some sort of an encrypted puzzle wall. Fun.
Dell Technologies continues to impress at #CES2019. Continuing on from last years’ experience, Dell transformed the Sugar Cane restaurant at the Venetian into an experiential exhibit that will have received over 12,000 guests during its 3-day experience. As you enter the exhibit, to the left you will find all the usual suspects workplace and home office technology like the laptops and desktops. To the right, you will find the #GamingZone. In partnership with Alienware, they have all the latest and greatest technology including the buzz on the show floor, the 55″, 8K OLED Gaming Monitor, and it is not to disappoint. See more here. I had the opportunity to speak with Megan, the liaison for Global Events. Her top 3 advice for exhibiting: “(1) Stay focused on your why & goal and have a clear objective. (2) Establish your purpose for the goal and how to measure your success. Be able to gauge your metrics and have ways to analyze both qualitative and quantitative data. (3) Have a blast. Enjoy the moment. You’re exhibiting with the best of the best of the world, so take it in and have fun with it.” I’d say that’s great advice to follow for #CES2020.
Entrepreneurially minded, service oriented, creative and agile, PLUS Studios is a place where the best of the old exhibit house system is combined with a new mentality and modern approach. PLUS Studios was founded in 2013 when a collective group of industry veterans decided to break the mold and do business differently. With our agility, insight, new thinking, and modern sensibilities, we have created the experience of a larger exhibit house; the PLUS Studios model was born! To learn more about Plus Studios, please go to www.Plus-Studios.com or contact us at 702-651-9611.
About the Author: Li Jackson is an 18 year veteran of the events & exhibits industry and is currently the VP of Marketing at Plus Studios, an experiential Events Exhibits and Environments company based in Las Vegas Nevada. She is also Founder of Tradeshowlife®️, an Online Educational & Media company and Executive Director at Rethink Worldwide a Non-Profit Organization focused on Conserving the Environment.