2008 CES Las Vegas

This is my short story of a first year visit to the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) which began in Las Vegas, Nevada on January 7th, 2008. This article also supplements my 2008 International CES Computer Technology Highlights report of notable product findings. Prior to starting Benchmark Reviews in March 2007, I had only heard of the aftermath and accolades from the stories handed down from affiliate webmasters from the previous years' CES. Since I am a resident of Nevada, I feel the gravitational pull of Las Vegas more than a few times per year; most in part to my competitions twice per year in the Grappler's Quest National Tournaments. But this year I was on a mission: meet the manufacturers, ask the important questions, and attend the parties. This is a diary of the most interesting experiences while I attended the 2008 International CES convention, and the lessons I learned the hard way. This article is dedicated to anyone who is considering, planning, or just slightly curious about joining the crowd in Sin City.

Fresh from enjoying a local convention for a change at the recent 2007 Super Computing Convention (SC07)in Reno, Nevada, I felt like I was ready to experience the largest gathering of technology-hungry consumers in America. In preparation I visited the CES website almost two months prior to the show, and registered as a press attendant. Unlike at SC'07 where press attendance was meager and exhibiting manufacturers actually acknowledged your existence, CES was a different animal all-together. For a brief moment it reminded me of when I was in the Marines: SC07 was like being home in uniform and standing out against everyone else, whereas at CES I was just another uniformed body in a large formation of bodies. The Consumer Electronics Show had somehow given me the idea that it was designed for consumers, and that I would be a visitor with credentials. I was so wrong.

As it turns out, Benchmark Reviews earned me a press credential which placed me with the majority of visitors to the show. While red press/analyst/blogger/media seemed to be on the badge holders of almost every other person in attendance, the remain half were wearing green badge holders with buyer or research on them. Only a small fraction were actual visitors with no professional industry relationship. Clearly depicted in the images above, which were from the Las Vegas Convention Center (LVCC) Central Hall area on Monday morning, the show was packed with camera-laden techies.

That's me in the back with the black shirt and red lanyard... yeah right. There were so many people, it suddenly made perfect sense as to why the badge had an RFID tag in it. I can't even begin to imagine what kind of data those little tracking devices gave the show promoters. The images above represent the steady flow of traffic for the first half of day one.

CES In Only Two Days

Originally my plan included a flight down to Las Vegas from Reno on Sunday morning, and check into my hotel after lunch. Since hotel reservations are cut-throat around show time, I made mine two months in advance; and even that was cutting it way too close. In all honesty, I discovered a terrific hotel about five miles south of the main strip of mega-hotels and it cost less than three hundred dollars for two nights stay. All in all, it was a steal for any hotel in Las Vegas; especially for CES.

Unfortunately, Saturday brought in over a foot of snow and the Reno/Tahoe International Airport cancelled my flight. With my hotel reservation sold to the highest bidder the moment I don't check in by early evening, and my plans of a productive CES quickly becoming only hopeful wishes, I had to act fast. Reno is a six hour drive to Las Vegas with no stops, and empty bottle, and good weather. But with snow falling fast, it looked like I would be making it with snow tires - which is exactly what happened. Almost eight hours after leaving the cold clutches of slippery Reno, I arrived in warm and dry Las Vegas... just in time to save my reservation and get ready for the CES Launch Party held in the Absolute Suite at Caesars Palace by NZXT, Tagan, TechZone.com.

Instead of a solid two days of CES, my visit was suddenly cut down to only Monday and half of Tuesday. Thankfully, I am a meticulous planner, and had already taken advantage of the very detailed CES Personal Planner site to map my every move. So with a long drive, and a long night of unwinding with John "Party Animal" Chow and his cohorts from ThinkComputers.com and FutureLooks.com, I had to make sure not to loose the opportunity to get an early start on opening day of the 2008 International CES.

Since Benchmark Reviews concentrates on computer hardware and closely related consumer electronics, it wasn't an impossible task to meet and great the manufacturers in this industry in under two days. I knew it wasn't going to be an easy day, even for someone like me who is in top physical shape, so I made sure that I wore two pairs of black dress socks to avoid blisters and used cushion insoles to alleviate back and knee pains. All of this worked in my favor, as I swiftly navigated the entire LVCC and briefly met with over one hundred different industry heads.

One special note that's worth mentioning is the press releases you receive once you sign up for CES. I now know a dirty little secret: you don't really have to attend to meet the marketing department for the exhibiting companies. CES offered a very good online interface which allows anyone who signed up for CES to "connect" and share contact information with one another. Although face time in invaluable and proves that you are not just a fly by night website, if you cannot make CES than it benefits you to still get registered and gather contact information.

Even though I laid eyes on the LVCC around 7:00AM, it wouldn't be until nearly 9AM that I was able to enter the convention. Thanks to very limited and out of reach press rooms, which for some reason turned an ordinary badge holder into a valued object, I walked nearly a mile before my journey would officially begin. Sadly, even the largest shows have their own degree of poor planning; but on the upside I did get a very nice (as in worth $60) Toshiba backpack complete with detachable carry back cross-latching straps. This would be the start of my swag collection, and a very long day that extends twelve hours later into the dark closing hours of day one.

Making Time Count at CES

With my trusty Canon PowerShot S3IS loaded with enough spare batteries to power a Hybrid vehicle and a box of 100 business cards adorned with the Benchmark Reviews logo, I made every second count. Not unlike everywhere else in the USA, it counts to be nimble on your toes while scaling the aisles and walkways. It seemed as though people would suddenly (and thoughtlessly) stop in the middle of a fast moving walkway, and it never failed that the dozens of people behind that person suddenly cause a mess of confusion and frustration. Good thing for me that I'm an edgy person who is not above pushing someone aside who decides it's nap-time in the middle of rush hour.

Probably the most interesting experience for me at the 2008 International CES was the number of people who created a very clear divide between those who belong and those who don't. By mid-morning the mouth breathers had cleared the halls to take a seat and eat from the low hanging fruits near the main doors where open pastures awaited them. I used this opportunity to weave through moving traffic like water down a rocky stream, slipping off of bodies as I navigate directly towards the marketing staff behind a booth. In retrospect, I should have come with at least 500 business cards; my little box of 100 lasted less than one day of CES.

As day one of CES'08 came to a close, it was apparent to me that this show was more work than anything else. I missed breakfast and it hurt, but thanks to a very new name in the graphics card market I was able to talk shop while they provided lunch. I would learn that requesting a digital media kit would often save me a lot of time that would otherwise require photos and note taking, and in a few very rare cases it would earn me a flash drive pre-loaded with images and press releases. Certainly I think that more product notes would have benefited the second part of this article series: 2008 International CES Computer Technology Highlights. But for now you'll just have to hear about how it was all done.

The one great thing about CES is that even a geek can get invited to a party. Parties are something I have grown bored of over the past year, as I belong to a growing population of hip and social tech-nerds; hopefully a rise to the end of Star Wars collectible-loving WoW junkies who have over-populated the industry for the past few decades. But I digress, because this was leading into another party.

With every multi-day mega convention comes the parties sponsored by show exhibitors, which in the case of Benchmark Reviews it means product sponsors. It's very satisfying to meet with the people you correspond and professionally challenge with product suggests, but it's far better to have them invite you to a party where they supply the good time for you. Like many of the editors in this industry, each night could have several different social engagements which require brief attendance. That might seem impersonal, but these are really still professional events with a social emphasis. We drink, we eat, and we're merry; but we talk shop all night long. The image above was taken while out on the Ballagio balcony while chatting with Dr. Michael Schuette, Vice President to OCZ's technology development.

OCZ Technology was the most entertaining (and enlightening) party of my visit to CES, and it allowed me to change hats for a moment and introduce myself to many strangers whom I would hope to be site affiliates. More often than not, that stranger was someone owned a site that I never knew of, or a site that would never know of me. As the candle burned bright into the midnight hours, OCZ was kind enough to offer a prize raffle. To my surprise, people had left the party early and abandoned their tickets, which ultimately landed me with more than a few prizes (which I gave away) before I walked off with a 32GB flash drive for my efforts. Not a bad night at all: meet my friendly sponsors, learn about their upcoming projects (mind controlled mouse actuation), and enjoy free drinks and prizes. I could only hope that tomorrow would be forgiving on my fatigued, malnourished, and unrested body.

Heading into day two of CES, the parties added to a lack of food and sleep which forced made it difficult to revisit the hustle needed to survive day one. Luckily, I wouldn't need it... much. Day two was planned to be a short half day at the Sands and Venetian, where I would meet with only a few sponsors to the site and introduce myself to a few that have eluded Benchmark Reviews for the past nine months. I could see that the impact of the previous day had taken its toll on everyone else, too, since the general speed was no longer upbeat but more of a somber stroll such as after a long night of partying.

The drudge of sore feet and slow aisles made it difficult to muster up motivation to clean house and cover every booth I marked on my map. In the end, I knew that the day was going to be cut short with a lunch meeting anyway, after which I was going to make the drive back to Reno and get home just before midnight. So it didn't seem like such a loss when I began scratching off a few names from my list and met with some of the bigger names that were somehow relegated to this off-site CES premises. After all, I really needed the occasional break to watch 80's hair-band wanna-be's play air guitar for Guitar Here (above).

So when it was all done, I had a lot to look back and be proud of. Day one was probably the most successful effort anyone has ever had at CES, which gave me a stack of business cards over two inches tall and enough face time with sponsors to add site credibility. Ultimately though, Benchmark Reviews stands on it's own two feet, but it sure doesn't hurt to see how everyone else live. These shows are a vital part of preparing content and making professional contacts with the important industry manufacturers. In the end, the most experience I had at the 2008 International CES was the spirit: everyone there was eager to learn something new, and meet someone new. So long as you can keep up the stamina, I highly recommend any enthusiast and technical writer to experience this event at least once in their life.

Benchmark Reviews has also released our 2008 International CES Computer Technology Highlights, which reveal some of the most profound products and technology released at the show.

Questions? Comments? Benchmark Reviews really wants your feedback. We invite you to leave your remarks in our Discussion Forum.

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