How to Survive CES: 10 Practical Tips
December 28th, 2006 by Jeremy Toeman
The 2007 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) is less than two weeks away, and (as always), I’m pretty excited about it. This is my 7th year attending the show, and for the first time in seven years, I don’t have massive amounts of responsibilities. I’ve set up and worked booths, hotel suites, and meeting rooms. I’ve done 19-hour days, starting at 2:30am. If there is but a single word to use to describe CES it is this: exhausting.
It’s exhausting not just for those involved in making the show happen, but for those attending it as well. Hopefully, this little list will make it just a little easier for anyone going this year.
- Wear comfortable shoes. There are over 2 million square feet of exhibit space, and that doesn’t count the halls or walkways. Your legs will get tired in a single day. The effort of walking around people alone is tiresome. Forget the Blahniks and get something from Nike or Adidas. Freebie bonus tip: while walking the show floor, try to walk on the booths as they tend to have better padding than the walkways between booths.
- Make a daily plan. Go to the CES web site and pick out the attendees you want to see (same for the panels and sessions). Take a look at their locations, and plan your days based on location. You do not want to go back and forth between any two halls on the same day. It’s okay if your plans get disrupted or adjusted, but you should generally know where you want to be on a given day.
- Eat and drink. Don’t forget that 6-8 hours of walking and talking uses energy, so be prepared to replenish. Bring a water bottle and refill it from the fountains as you need. The cafeterias are, well, cafeterias, so I recommend looking for (or bringing) prepackaged food. As another bonus tip: make restaurant reservations as soon as possible if you haven’t already!
- Wash your hands. The second week of January is often “CES Flu Week.” I heard (rumor, not fact) a few years ago that a huge PC company lost a few hundred workers due to colf/flu symptoms after the show. People come from around the world, bringing their various microbes, and you will shake their hands. Wash your hands before you eat and when you get to the hotel at the end of the day.
- Share cabs. When you get to your hotel taxi line in the morning, and it’s huge, here’s a simple trick to save yourself 30 minutes per day (or more). Walk to the front, ask if anyone’s going to the convention center, if they say yes, offer to pay for their cab. You aren’t actually “cutting” in line, because the person who was 2nd in line remains 2nd in line and you have no impact on their wait. Easy one, eh? By the way, you should be sure to tip a little extra when you do this, since you’ve taken away a full fare.
- Pack lightly. My recommendation is to walk the floor with either nothing or a near-empty backpack. Forget shoulder straps, you’ll be aching by the end of the day. Bring nothing you do not need during the day. Also, try to dump your bag prior to dinner, so you can spend the night on the town without having to remember anything later. What happens in Vegas…
- Discriminate on swag. Do you really want a Panasonic pen, or a Sony plastic bag, or a brochure from TiVo? Really? My wife has actually forbidden me from bringing home anything we won’t actually use, unless it’s a gift. This coincides nicely with the ‘pack lightly’ thing above…
- Visit the Sands. There are lots of cool companies there, and it’s quieter than the main halls. Also, you’ll get more personalized attention due to the smaller crowd. There are other… incentives as well.
- Know the resources. Open wireless at the show? Doubtful. EVDO connection? Unlikely. Outlets to charge you phone? Forget it. Charge at night, bring an extra battery if you need it, and just don’t bother trying to get online from the convention floor. Sure, it might happen, but don’t waste any time either.
Don’t forget your badge. If memory serves, last year it was $75 to get a replacement. Nuff said. And security actually can be fairly tight there, so really, don’t forget it!
That’s it, that’s my tips for making the most out of CES. I hope it helps you make it through the show!
ps - a #11 for bloggers only. Don’t forget to check out PodTech’s Bloghaus at the Bellagio Hotel, but also don’t forget you’re in Vegas and there’s tons of stuff to see and do offline as well!!!
December 28th, 2006 at 12:59 pm
Jeremy’s CES tips are dead on!…
Last year, I was fortunate enough to attend CES as a member of the Engadget team. That trip was covered by AOL and if you want to know how Engadget provides arguably the best coverage, the secret is: hard work. This year, I’m paying out of my own pock…
December 28th, 2006 at 3:02 pm
Nice post!
Great tip- Lunch at Piero’s. Free lunch and drinks Monday and Tuesday, just a few feet from the LVCC. It’s a great way to chill out and get off your feet for a few minutes.
December 28th, 2006 at 3:11 pm
Man, I SO wish I was going this year! I have to work this year during that time frame, but hope to come to LD daily to get up to the minute updates.
JT, you have to get a good reliable connection. I have extra Canon 700is batteries if you need! A second EVDO connection maybe?
December 28th, 2006 at 3:13 pm
Jeremy,
This will be my first year at CES and my first trip to Las Vegas. I am equal parts scared and excited. Thanks for giving me at least some insight on what to expect and how to prepare - maybe I’ll even see you there.
December 28th, 2006 at 8:08 pm
[...] Tris Hussey of the Podtech team has provided us with a few extra tips to know about before going to CES. If you’ve never been (like me) you should really pay attention to his list. Jeremy has the original 10. Loren created his own high quality video inviting folks the PodTech Bloghaus. For those watching in a helicopter he included spinning text that will help synchronize the experience. Who was that guy after Irina? If you watch carefully you can see me for a second (taken at the IE7 Beta Release party)…but no more than that. [...]
January 2nd, 2007 at 9:05 pm
[...] How to Survive CES: 10 Practical Tips via JK on the Run [...]
January 3rd, 2007 at 2:40 pm
This will be my first time at CES. Thanks so much for the helpful tips. Lol I definately would have made the mistake of wearing heels.
January 3rd, 2007 at 5:08 pm
Bloghaus CES - A Place for Bloggers at CES…
This will be my first year attending CES. I’m extremely excited about it, but from what I hear it can all be overwhelming. Thanks to Rafe for sending me this link from PodTech.net about Bloghaus.PodTech is having our first Bloghaus,…
January 6th, 2007 at 5:40 am
[...] Being a new attendee, I found this list of things to do and prepare for very helpful: How to Survive CES. I’ve already got a very light backpack and some comfortable shoes. For those clients that I’ll be meeting, sorry for the casual attire, but I’m sure you’ll be just as tired. [...]
January 7th, 2007 at 9:39 pm
Thanks for the tips. I will happen to be in Las Vegas with my brother on Friday, the day after the show ends. We are considering arriving a day earlier to catch the last day of the show. However, we are not “members of the industry” (I noted at the offical CES Website that you have to be in the industry to be eligible to register). We’re just gadget buffs who would enjoy seeing all the sights. What are our chances of being able to purchase passes, for just the one day? How much would it cost?
January 11th, 2007 at 8:36 am
My friend and I are both retired electronic technicians from the U.S. Postal Service. We rented a hotel room in Las Vegas for three days and drove from California, very much looking forward to seeing the new technology. After all our excitement and the time and money we spent, imagine our disappointment when we were turned away at the registration desk because we do not work in the industry! If interested “consumers” cannot attend the Consumer Electronics Show, then this is certainly a misnomer, and you should seriously consider renaming this event! She told us that it was posted all over that the show was not open to the public, but we have yet to see such a posting, either in the vicinity of the show, or on the internet sites. This situation was one of the worst experiences we have had, and I even lost my $500 camcorder on this excursion, so it was really depressing to have to turn around and return home. If the participating electronics companies knew that consumers who were interested in seeing their products were turned away, how do you think they would feel about that? We have both been known to purchase many high-tech products, but were not allowed to see what will be offered. Are these new products really “top secret” or what? This is a situation that should be addressed to you and to all vendor participants in the show, which clearly should be open to ALL interested parties.
January 14th, 2007 at 10:52 am
Rex - sorry to hear you had such a horrible experience. I wrote a post just for you: http://www.livedigitally.com/2007/01/14/why-consumers-arent-at-the-consumer-electronics-show/
March 6th, 2007 at 3:07 pm
[...] Jeremy Toeman: How to Survive CES: 10 Practical Tips [...]
April 25th, 2007 at 9:27 am
I really wish I could have been there
January 3rd, 2008 at 9:38 pm
[...] comfortable beds so you can get that beauty rest you so desperately need. But Jeremy Toeman’s How to Survive CES tips will provide you with all the necessary info to preserve your beauty sleep along with your [...]