John Locher / Associated Press
A person passes by the Las Vegas Convention Center on Saturday, ahead of the CES tech show. The trade show, one of the largest in Las Vegas, is expected to draw 130,000 people and 4,000 exhibitors to Las Vegas beginning today and continuing through Friday.
Tuesday, Jan. 9, 2024 | 2 a.m.
Hundreds of thousands of people will descend on Las Vegas this week for CES, the annual electronics show bringing together industry leaders, government officials, celebrities and a slew of exhibitors to show off what’s new in the world of technology.
Running today through Friday, the show which boasts more than 2.5 million square feet of exhibit space, is expected to bring more than 130,000 people to town, said Melissa Harrison, vice president of marketing and communications at the Consumer Technology Association, which owns and produces the annual event.
“This is where business gets done,” Harrison said. “You’re going to see the greatest minds, the most powerful brands and most impactful technology.”
CES offers attendees the chance to learn about a spectrum of topics in the industry, from streaming and advertising to technology’s role in sports, agriculture and more. This year will include keynote speeches from companies like L’Oreal and Walmart, as well as appearances from celebrities like Robert Downey Jr., Will.i.am and entrepreneur Mark Cuban, among others.
It will play host to over 4,200 exhibitors, Harrison said, and Eureka Park — the convention’s dedicated space for startups — will have 1,400 booths alone.
“If you haven’t been to Eureka Park, you’ve got to stop there and meet all the startups,” Harrison said. “It’s so cool to see all of the new products and what could potentially be the next big game changer in the tech world.”
Artificial intelligence will dominate this year’s convention, Harrison said, all throughout the programming.
“It’s going to play such a major role at the show and throughout this year,” she said. “It’s really a key ingredient in technology. We, of course, at CES, have seen AI on the show floor for many, many years. But with the last year of generative AI, we’ve just seen this accelerate and now become really the hot topic of the show.”
Nevertheless, CES has plenty else to offer in the way of technology, and Harrison pointed to its massive showcase of the automotive and health industries, and technological advancements in both, as just a few examples.
The convention continues to grow because it gives attendees the opportunity to network in person with people across those different sectors, she said, citing the fact that CES attendees typically hold just under 30 meetings during the nearly weeklong convention.
“The whole tech ecosystem is here,” Harrison said. “And we’re seeing this opportunity for people to cross collaborate and to really (see) the growth opportunities. And I think that’s why it continues to grow. This is the place to be.”
Asked why Las Vegas continues to be the destination home of CES, Harrison said there was no other city that could handle the convention’s size and magnitude, calling the city a “second home.”
CES itself is spread out across the Aria, the Venetian, Mandalay Bay, the Las Vegas Convention Center and multiple other properties.
“It’s just such a great destination and experience for our attendees,” Harrison said. “So, overall, I would just say it’s a really great place for us to do business, and we love coming back here. … We really appreciate the way the community has embraced us and embraced CES and the true partnership that we have in Las Vegas.”
Steve Hill, president and CEO of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, said Monday that, for the last 40-plus years CES has been in Las Vegas, the convention has ensured that January is a successful month for the city overall.
“It has grown with Las Vegas,” Hill said of CES. “Las Vegas has grown with CES. And, frankly, Las Vegas — to some extent — has grown because of CES.”
The trade show itself is not just a financial benefit to Las Vegas, he said, but also an opportunity to expand the brand of the Entertainment Capital of the World.
“When we talk about the maturation of Las Vegas and how we’ve grown up as a city, CES has been a big part of making that happen,” said Hill, who said CES was on the same scale as the Super Bowl, which will be in town in February. “It is probably the core message around bringing business to Las Vegas.”
Las Vegas has also helped CES, Hill said.
“I don’t think there’s any place else in the world that they could do what they do — the way they do it — other than here,” he said. “So that combination and that partnership, I think, is meaningful to them (and) is really meaningful to Las Vegas.”
Harrison said she was most excited to see what may be unveiled and announced to the world over the next few days. Contrary to popular belief, she said, the Consumer Technology Association does not always know what’s coming.
“What’s going to be the thing that drives the conversation around the show that we didn’t even know was going to happen?” she said. “I’m just excited to see what transpires over the next four days.”
