CEA Announces Record 176,676 Attendees at 2015 International CES

This will be of interest to the trade readers and is also being published to show off a bit! For I have been a very, very fortunate bloke, repeatedly. I have been to Las Vegas to the International CES. I was first made aware if it by the sales dude at American Autosounds, when I was manager, who bragged about Sin City, the CES and the ‘˜Adult Section’ (now a totally different show) and how bonkers the whole experience was, along with the intensity of how cool the car audio was over there, versus here. He made it clear that only those as mattered went, and that I clearly did not.
But get this, my last trip, I was a Scholarship Journalist, meaning I was a guest of the CEA themselves and went to the small-and-personal press room and also, as a group had our own keynote from the Guv’nor of the CEA, Mr. Gary Shapiro. I just wanted to brag myself about just how high an honour this is, career-wise. Just look at the numbers and boggle, people. Fatbloke Rayner matters, in our own singular market (which is enough to fill ONE hall of the mighty Las Vegas Convention Centre) sufficiently to get to meet the management. On a scale that big, it still gives me goosebumps.
Moreover, the experience of Las Vegas as Scholarship Journalist makes you feel proper loved! I wanted to offer up a huge thank you for an amazing experience..again! I can also brag that I was there in the quietest CES of recent times, (2009) as well as the one that set the bar for ‘Please, Las Vegas IS FULL, no more room at the Inn!’ Here is the CEA’s press release about the independently audited attendance figures.
But first, the fabulously urbane, witty Captain Kirk of the CEA, who went misty-eyed when I mentioned fishing in my ‘Name-and-whom-I-Write-for’ self-intro, as required at Q&A at the Scholarship Journalists’ keynote address. (I asked about people getting subcutaneous microchips to replace ID and credit cards and his projection as to when it’ll happen.. and yes, this IS me laying it on with a trowel in transparent hope for that lightning bolt to hit again!)

To maintain a quality CES experience, the CEA (Consumer Electronics Association of America) are going to cap 2016 CES registration via enhanced credentialing procedures.
Arlington, VA, May 13, 2015 The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA)®, the owner and producer of the International CES®, today announced that verified attendance at the 2015 International CES reached a record 176,676 industry professionals with 48,833 coming from outside of the U.S. The 2015 CES also set a number of other records, including more than 3,600 exhibitors, more than 2.23 million net square feet of exhibit space, 6,952 media and analyst attendees, 703,602 mentions of #CES2015 during the show with 7.51 billion total potential Twitter impressions, and 153 countries represented. The independent audit, performed by Veris Consulting, LLC, confirms CES’ status as the world’s gathering place for all who thrive on the business of consumer technologies. The full CES attendance audit summary report will be available online at the end of June.

‘We are thrilled to have produced such a phenomenal, record setting International CES,’ said Gary Shapiro, CEA president and CEO. ‘Our event offers a one of a kind, ‘˜can’t miss’ experience that allows our global attendees to see how different technologies from a range of industries impact each other. The International CES remains the single best place to experience the products, services and trends that will be driving the global industry in the months and years to come.’

As CES and the consumer technology industry continue to grow, CEA is establishing procedures to cap attendance at the 2016 International CES at 176,000, or close to a level comparable to the 2015 CES, in an effort to ensure that attendees continue to have a quality experience.

‘With the growth of the consumer technology industry and the parallel growth of the International CES comes an increase in the qualified registrant base for our show. While these individuals are qualified industry professionals, we are reaching space capacity and simply can’t accommodate every qualified individual to our show,’ said Karen Chupka, CEA senior vice president, International CES and corporate business strategy. ‘We take seriously our efforts to make sure CES attendees have a positive experience. Enhanced credentialing procedures will enable us to ensure that qualified attendees can participate in our show and conduct business while providing a high-quality experience for all. These efforts also will allow us to improve some of the logistical and operational challenges that come with producing and attending such a large event.’
The new procedures that CEA will enact for the 2016 CES include:

Enhanced credentialing:
New registrants or previous registrants who did not attend the 2014 or 2015 CES will be subject to new enhanced credentialing and tighter qualification criteria. This means that although individuals may have qualified for registration in previous years, they must resubmit credentials to qualify for the 2016 CES.
To qualify, all registrants must provide a brief description of their industry affiliation along with links to their company website with an employee roster, a description of their business engagement at CES or a link to a current publication or article the registrant authored or in which they were quoted or cited as an industry professional. Alternately, registrants may also provide a business card, health insurance card or other proof of employment verification. In addition, in order to expedite affiliated registrants through the verification process, CES will ask registrants to include a business email address. Additional details can be found at http://www2.ce.org/e/26962/Register-Plan-Register-Now/43nchn/404595055 once registration opens later this year.
Those who attended one of the past two shows will be allowed to register without providing additional industry qualifications, given their loyalty to CES.
CES remains a trade-only event and is not open to the general public.

A new registration fee structure:
CEA is implementing a $100 advanced fee for all registrants beginning July 8 when registration launches.
CEA is providing our loyal alumni who attended the 2014 or 2015 CES with a 30-day window of complimentary registration before the $100 fee goes into effect for this audience.
Registration for qualified media will remain free of charge.
Registration fees will increase to $300 beginning December 21 through the 2016 CES. This move is to encourage more registrants to sign up prior to December 21 to allow CEA ample time to verify credentials for those who register after that date.
‘Our new procedures will help us cap the overall growth in CES attendance, promoting a quality business experience for our guests while focusing show and consumer technology industry growth in key areas, including new markets and trends,’ stated Chupka.

‘The average CES attendee has 33 business meetings at our event so it’s crucial that we make the networking and dealmaking opportunities as easy as possible for our guests,’ said Shapiro. ‘CES is the world’s leading annual innovation event and is setting records across every major category including international attendance. We must always innovate to ensure that CES remains the must-attend event for any professional connected to innovation. These new procedures will help us meet this goal.’

Through these new policies and procedures, CEA is aiming to cap 2016 CES attendance at 176,000.

‘We believe this number strikes the balance we seek between producing a show that truly reflects the size and scope of the global consumer technology industry while helping our participants have a positive, quality business experience,’ said Chupka. ‘We won’t, however, turn qualified attendees away at the door! We will refine our new processes as necessary during registration in an effort to stay within our target attendance.’

Veris is certified by the Exhibition and Event Industry Audit Commission (EEIAC) to perform audits. The CES audit provides absolute verification of exhibition records, including direct on-site observation, examination of registration systems and testing of attendee records. Post-show analysis included direct confirmation sampling, reconciliation of attendance lists, elimination of duplicate names, and verification of demographic data with the source of documentation. This audit complies with the industry standards for audits adopted by both the EEIAC and the International Association of Exhibition and Events (IAEE). An independent audit is required to be certified by UFI, the Global Association of the Exhibition Industry, and the International CES is believed to be the only UFI approved event in its category.

Registration for the 2016 CES will open on July 8. More details on 2016 CES policies and procedures can be found at CESweb.org.
About CES:
The International CES is the world’s gathering place for all who thrive on the business of consumer technologies. It has served as the proving ground for innovators and breakthrough technologies for more than 40 years’”the global stage where next-generation innovations are introduced to the marketplace. As the largest hands-on event of its kind, CES features all aspects of the industry. And because it is owned and produced by the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA), the technology trade association representing the $286 billion U.S. consumer electronics industry, it attracts the world’s business leaders and pioneering thinkers to a forum where the industry’s most relevant issues are addressed. Follow CES online at www.CESweb.org and through social media: CEA Social Media
UPCOMING EVENTS
2015 International CES Asia
May 25-27, 2015, Shanghai, China
CEO Summit
May 25-27, 2015, Shanghai, China
CEA Innovate!
November 8-10, 2015, New York, NY
CE Hall of Fame Dinner
November 9, 2015, New York, NY
CES Unveiled New York
November 10, 2015, New York, NY
CES Unveiled Las Vegas
January 4, 2016, Las Vegas, NV
2016 International CES
January 6-9, 2016, Las Vegas, NV