Every year, hundreds of companies from every industry — from homebuilding to computers to retinal scanning — showcase what they have in store for the coming year and beyond at CES, the international consumer electronics event. Digital Trends spoke with Jeff Joseph, the vice president of communications and strategic relations for the Consumer Technology Association (CTA), the group behind CES, about just how big it is.
His response: “It’s damn big.”
In terms of physical space, Joseph says this is CES’ biggest year, with 2,600,000 net square feet of exhibit space, which roughly equates to 20 soccer fields. Joseph attributes CES’ expansion to the broadening influence of technology across different industries.
“Years ago, in the late ’90s, when I first started this job, it was still a lot about audiovisual, and we were beginning to move into digital. But, with the advent of digital, technology is everything. It’s in every industry,” Joseph said.
As CES has expanded, it has developed into being one of the premier auto shows, along with the annual Detroit Auto Show. Next year, the entire four-day CES event will overlap with the Detroit Auto Show, but Joseph thinks that won’t be a problem as both offer something distinctive to the auto industry.
“I think many companies go to [the Detroit Auto Show] to talk about next year’s model, to talk about performance, and new features,” Joseph said. “But they come [to CES] to talk about technology, innovation, and really take that future look. Here’s where you debut, certainly cars that will be in the market soon, but it allows them to have a longer-term view.”
CES has built a reputation on having almost all of the major brands from multiple industries converge for a four-day marathon of innovation, but the startups are also a big part of the event. According to Joseph, there were more than 600 startup companies at this year’s CES.
As emerging technologies such as virtual reality and augmented reality are expected to have big years in 2017, it will be interesting to see how much bigger CES can get.
Related Posts
Techinline offers 20% off SetMe’s Professional plan for the first year: Try free now
Why does any of that matter? Because, right now, Techinline is offering 20% off SetMe's professional plan for the first year. But, if you want to try it out first for your team, you can do just that. You can sign up for an exclusive 15-day free trial with no credit card required and no commitments -- using our promo code. All features are available as part of the trial, nothing is blocked. You can get in on that offer now, or keep reading for some more details on how SetMe Professional works. Sign Up Now Why Is SetMe Professional an Ideal IT Solution?
LastPass Teams enables seamless password management for better productivity
One benefit, if you will, is a productivity boost for all who use it. Imagine the traditional password and account-sharing method. You'd have to share the login details, maybe even share the process. If multi-factor authentication is enabled, then forget it. You have to pass on codes, pre-plan access, and much more. Not to mention, none of that is secure or safe. Once multiple people know the login details that account is effectively compromised, no matter how much you trust them.
Access Sam’s Club membership perks at 50% off — sign up here!
Sign Up Now