CES 2025 tips and tricks: A guide to tech’s biggest trade show

CES 2025 is coming to Las Vegas through the week of January 5, and will probably be one of many largest tech expos on this planet once more.

This 12 months’s present ought to be large once more. Final 12 months’s attendance reached 138,789, based on an audited report by the Client Know-how Affiliation (CTA), the group that places on the present.

Final 12 months at CES 2024, I recorded round 80 press occasions, interviews, and classes. I walked 46.78 miles, or 105,407 steps, over six days. My toes harm and my again have been sore. There have been greater than 4,300 exhibitors and a pair of.4 million sq. toes of exhibit area to crawl. And the Goodyear blimp was there.

I’ve been attending the Client Electronics Present because the Nineties when then-Microsoft CEO Invoice Gates gave the opening keynote speeches yearly. This time, the largest speech will come from Jensen Huang, CEO of Nvidia, the graphics chip maker that has change into the king of AI {hardware} with a market worth of $3.42 trillion — probably the most beneficial firm on this planet.

He’ll give a chat at 6:30 p.m. Pacific time on the Michelob Area on the Mandalay Bay on January 6. Most attendees arrive on the present on January 7 and keep by way of January 10, when the expos are open. However the press — just a few thousand of us — begin arriving on January 5 for the afternoon previews and CES Unveiled (press solely, in Mandalay Bay), the place award-winning exhibitors present their wares at tables.

“The CES is a tremendous, highly effective tech occasion. I used to be wanting again at what you had written final 12 months about it, earlier than and after,” stated Gary Shapiro, CEO of the Client Know-how Affiliation, in an interview with GamesBeat. “Lots of people go together with a really full agenda, however we at all times say it’s important to have time for serendipity and discovery. We now have a brand new look, a brand new really feel. We targeted the marketing campaign on “Dive in.” We’re inviting attendees to do three issues: join, resolve, and uncover.”

He stated the common attendee has about 29 conferences through the present, as face-to-face enterprise remains to be necessary. About 75% of attendees say their enterprise is primarily B2B, or each B2B and B2C.

My No. 1 tip is to at all times put on comfy footwear. I discovered that lesson after some blisters throughout a CES years in the past. As for a masks, I put on it on planes and infrequently throughout large, crowded indoor occasions. However issues have modified because the COVID days when the present was canceled outright in January 2021 and severely restricted in January 2022, with solely 45,000 exhibiting up.

A lot of my recommendation is just not rocket science. However I renew this story yearly since there are new folks attending the present and plenty of going for the primary time. I take no duty for unhealthy recommendation. You may take a look at the CES app here.

Attendance is just not fairly the place it as soon as was. Again in 2019, the present drew 175,212 in 2019 and 171,268 in 2020. CES 2020 had about 4,500 exhibitors throughout 2.9 million sq. toes of area. This 12 months, the present is a minimum of just a few days after New 12 months’s and that offers some respiration room for these planning on going. As a bonus, right here’s my gaming predictions for 2025.

The most recent phrase from the CTA: “CES 2025 would be the world’s strongest enterprise occasion, setting the tech agenda for the 12 months. With practically 140,000 international attendees at CES 2024, we’re seeing optimistic momentum and curiosity from {industry} executives, prime producers, consumers, retailers, and media for CES 2025. Hundreds of startups and corporations from around the globe will showcase innovation that may resolve a few of our most urgent challenges.”

Do you have to go?

It’s an enormous present, and, in contrast to the gaming {industry}’s canceled E3 present, it’s nonetheless related. Final 12 months, there have been 5,355 media final 12 months, up from 4,800 media attending CES 2023, up from 3,100 media at CES 2022. Eureka Park on the Venetian’s Sands Expo had greater than 1,400 startups.

There have been 46,000 worldwide guests, or 40.6% of the whole, final 12 months. Some 5,975 have been from the Americas outdoors the U.S., 12,424 have been from Europe, 36,017 have been from the Center East and Asia, 229 have been from Africa and 552 have been from Oceania. About 15,723 have been presidents or founders, or 11.7% of general attendance, and one other 12,768, or 9.5%, have been C-suite executives.

Final 12 months’s prime areas of curiosity have been AI, automobile tech, IoT sensors, smarthomes and home equipment, AR/XR/VR, robotics, advertising and marketing and promoting, startups, video applied sciences, 5G, vitality/energy, cloud computing/knowledge and health/wearables.

The 12 months earlier than, the highest areas of curiosity have been AI, IoT/sensors, automobile know-how, AR/VR/XR, smarthomes and home equipment, 5G, robotics, startups, vitality/energy, health and wearables and advertising and marketing and promoting.

I nonetheless view CES as a bellwether for the tech economic system, as no different occasion spans the whole tech world prefer it does. Firms wish to create a buzz at CES, which is designed to sign merchandise coming within the subsequent 12 months. I discover the present a helpful option to keep on top of things on the newest know-how. For those who discover the well being danger acceptable, then it may well nonetheless be a beneficial option to keep in contact.

Apple doesn’t attend the present, however nearly each different tech big does. It’s the place the tech {industry} might be subsequent week, although it’s not a lot of a recreation occasion nowadays. Sony, nevertheless, might be exhibiting up and they’re anticipated to point out off the Afeela electrical automobile (created with Honda) full with a PlayStation 5 within the automobile on the present.

Since 2020, CES official exhibit venues have been outfitted with improved air flow methods and contemporary air stream. 

The Las Vegas Conference Heart, Mandalay Bay and the Venetian Expo have been awarded International Biorisk Advisory Council (GBAC) Star certification by ISSA. This accreditation means the properties are observing cleansing protocols and work practices that decrease dangers related to the unfold of infectious illnesses. 

Once more in 2025, CES will work to reduce floor contact factors and enhance contemporary airflow at high-traffic areas. 

Hand sanitization stations might be positioned all through CES venues.  Pack heat as Vegas in January is a mean of 57 levels.

Masks can be found onsite. For those who select to not put on one, please respect these round you who do, the CTA says.

Getting your badge and stepping into the present

You need to work within the tech {industry} to get into the present. It’s a spot for professionals, not vacationers, and registration is designed to display the vacationers out. With 140,000 or extra folks on the present, you don’t wish to get caught in lengthy traces.

All present attendees, together with media and particular person exhibitor personnel should decide up their very own CES 2025 official badge at a remote badge pickup location You can not decide up badges for different attendees. I normally decide mine up on the Las Vegas airport.

To choose up your badge at a distant badge decide up location, it’s essential to current the next: Authorities-issued photograph ID and a registration affirmation – both saved in your Google or Apple pockets or affirmation electronic mail with QR code to scan.

Safety

The CTA stated its security measures imply attendees will face a bag search on the entrance to all present venues.

A novel electronic mail tackle is required for every registrant. CES badges embrace a photograph ID for attendees, exhibitors and media.

Date of beginning will once more be required in step with steerage from federal legislation enforcement and {industry} greatest practices.

At CES 2025, the CTA stated you’ll discover a extremely seen legislation enforcement presence all through the present and in any respect venues. Regulation enforcement officers and K9 (canine) items might be at each the entrances to the venues and on the exhibit ground. The venues might be performing random safety checks on present premises.

As an enhanced safety measure, the CTA is are implementing a automobile deterrence plan in and round key venues.

For those who see one thing suspicious, please report it to CES through the safety telephone numbers printed on the again of your CES badge. Venue safety numbers may be discovered on the On-Web site Providers web page. It’s also possible to ask any CES employees member or venue or safety personnel. Chances are you’ll contact CES Safety or venue safety by way of the CES App within the Safety part.

Attendees could carry two small baggage, every smaller than 12”x17”x6” into present venues. Attendees are inspired to think about their bag sort and use clear baggage (mesh, plastic, vinyl, and so on.) to expedite entry.

Rolling baggage of any measurement are prohibited together with baggage, carry-ons, laptop computer and pc baggage, and rolling baggage carts.

Media with an official media badge are permitted to hand-carry tools onto present premises in extra of the two-bag restriction. Gear is topic to go looking and tagged as accepted for entry.

Exhibitors are permitted to deliver product and show materials onto CES present premises in extra of our two-bag restriction, starting January 6 and prior to eight a.m. on present days January 7-10. Exhibitors may usher in supplies on move-in days between 7:30 a.m. and 6 p.m.

You must depart your baggage at your lodge. Nonetheless, there are bag-check amenities at LVCC outdoors of Central and West Halls, Venetian Expo, Stage 1 Foyer; and the Venetian Ballroom Lobby.

Peak instances for CES crowds

The press occasions begin late on January 5 and proceed all day on January 6. That’s when many of the tales will run from CES bulletins, with some show-only bulletins occurring on January 7.

Along with Nvidia’s Huang, different keynote audio system embrace

Panasonic Holdings Group CEO Yuki Kusumi, who’s doing the morning keynote on Tuesday January 7 at 8:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. with Shapiro of the CTA and Kinsey Fabrizio, president of the CTA.

Jennifer Witz, CEO of SiriusXM, is talking with podcaster Ashley Flowers at 11 a.m. Tuesday January 7 on the Aria.

Linda Yaccarino, CEO of X, is talking at 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday January 7 at The Venetian.

Ed Bastian, CEO of Delta, goes to be one of many highlights partly as a result of he’s acquired a fantastic location: The Sphere, the spherical live performance venue with superb particular results. He’s talking at 4:55 p.m. on the Sphere on Tuesday January 7. We’ll see what Delta has to say about know-how, contemplating will probably be celebrating its a hundredth birthday as an organization.

The keynotes wrap up on Wednesday January 8 with Martin Lundstedt, CEO of Volvo Group, at 9 a.m. at The Venetian; Julie Candy, CEO of Accenture at 2 p.m. Wednesday January 8.

There are many different panels. I’m moderating a session on AI and video games. It’s known as Velocity, Customization, Innovation: AI in Gaming, going down on the Aria Joshua 8 at 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Tuesday January 7. It’s about unleashing the facility of AI in recreation growth. It’s about studying how publishers and builders use AI to hurry up releases and design and tailor video games for gamers.

My panelists embrace Burcu Hakguder, cofounder and CRO, Layer; Emilee Helm, head of influencers, Gamesight; Haval Othman, senior director of expertise engineering at HP; and Devin Reimer, founder and CEO at AstroBeam.

Press days

As I discussed, the press day will begin on Sunday January 5 with a chat (solely press allowed) in regards to the CTA’s view of developments to look at. That can result in the press-only occasion, CES Unveiled, at 5 p.m. on the Mandalay Bay. That’s the place we get a primary have a look at the award winners for the CTA innovation contest.

Then comes (for the media) a baptism of fireside beginning on Monday at 8 a.m. Pacific with LG’s press convention. It peaks with Samsung’s press occasion at 2 p.m. and continues on to Sony’s 5 p.m. press occasion on the Las Vegas Conference Heart. These press occasions occur in fast hearth and it’s an actual problem to maintain up with the information. Fortuitously, most of the occasions are livestreamed for non-press to look at.

That is the day after I want the laptop computer with the longest battery life. (Sure, that’s nonetheless a problem). Then the press and others can head to the opening keynote speech for Jensen Huang, CEO of Nvidia, on the Mandalay Bay’s Michelob Area at 6:30 p.m. I’m undecided how I’m going to go from the Mandalay Bay to the conference middle and again to the Mandalay Bay is such a short while body. CES is all about such logistical nightmares and complicated options to them.

There’s additionally an enormous press-only occasion at Pepcom’s Digital Expertise at Caesars Palace (RSVPs required) on January 6 (7 p.m. to 10:30 p.m., after Huang’s speech), and the rival Showstoppers press-only occasion takes place on the Bellagio on the night of January 7.

This 12 months, Tuesday is when the true crowds present up, and also you’ll discover it in eating places, transportation traces, conference halls, on line casino flooring, and on the airport. Let’s hope the climate might be good, in distinction to the torrential rains we noticed in 2018, when blackouts took out the primary present ground.

For those who’re leaving the conference focus on 6 p.m., you’ll be able to catch a bus to many of the main lodges. That’s a good way to get off your toes and the traces can transfer quick. However that’s additionally the busiest site visitors time. You’ll must stroll (maybe a great distance) to designated areas for Uber/Lyft ride-sharing pickup zones. And there’s the monorail to think about as properly for some lodges.

Getting misplaced within the maze

The two.5 million-plus sq. toes of exhibition area will open at 10 a.m. on Tuesday January 7.

The classes at this 12 months’s exhibit area embrace automobile tech and superior mobility, digital well being, audio/video, gaming, sensible dwelling, AI/robotics, sensible cities and sustainability, C House, sports activities and health tech, enterprise and B2B, IoT infrastructure, metaverse, fintech, life-style, accessibility, Eureka Park (startups), 3D printing and area tech.

For those who’re actually formidable, you might be strolling 30,000 steps a day, about three to 6 instances as a lot as traditional. For me, exhaustion units in round 20,000 steps. For those who can lower some pointless strolling out of your day, that might be smart to do.

This 12 months’s venues have been renamed the LVCC Campus (Las Vegas Conference Heart West Corridor, North Corridor, South Corridor and Central Corridor), Venetian Campus(The Venetian, Palazzo, Wynn, Encore at Wynn) and C House Campus (Aria, Cosmopolitan, Park MGM and Vdara).

The LVCC campus has the sprawling South Halls 1, 2 and three (upstairs) with all kinds of merchandise. The Central Corridor consists of gaming, audio and video with big firms like Samsung, Sony, TCL, Canon, and extra. The North Corridor consists of classes like AI, B2B enterprise options, fintech, IoT infrastructure, sustainability, sensible cities, sensible cities IoT and automobile tech.

The West Corridor is filled with automobile tech with firms like Brunswick within the marine class, John Deere in heavy equipment, carmakers, EVs and eVTOL plane, self-driving automobiles, software program, suppliers and automobile tech.

Over on the Venetian, there are greater than 1,400 startups that might be at Eureka Park. Tech West is a bunch of pavilions on the Venetian. There are tons of startups on Stage 1. You could find regional cubicles resembling these from France, India, Israel, Italy, the Netherlands and extra. On Stage 2, you could find AARP AgeTech, Kohler, Hyundai, Narwal, and extra.

One of the vital incessantly visited halls at LVCC was the South Corridor, however this 12 months the multi-level corridor is closed.

In Tech South, at Aria Lodge, you could find C House, which is the place there are plenty of talks about Hollywood and know-how. The Cosmopolitan has Cosmo exhibitors that embrace Nvidia, Disney, Paramount, NBC Common, Netflix, Reddit, Roku, Samsung, T-Cell, and Snap.

What’s trending and what’s not

Whereas blockchain and the metaverse have been large themes just a few years in the past, AI was the massive theme for 2024. In 2025, AI will nonetheless command plenty of consideration. However that doesn’t imply that tech growth goes to occur. The worldwide economic system faces plenty of unknowns, like how pleasant towards tech and client gross sales the Trump administration might be, particularly if Donald Trump is threatening tariffs. Tariffs might result in commerce wars and that might imply a $300 to $500 recreation console might abruptly price $1,000.

Tim Bajarin, who’s going to his fiftieth CES, expects these developments: AI PCs are in every single place; earbuds might be smarter and smarter; smarter automobiles; smarter and better decision TVs; AI in every single place else; and spatial computing will make many appearances with XR/AR goggles or glasses.

Underneath the “join” a part of the theme of the present, Shapiro stated one main subject is human safety for all.

” We talked about human safety for all, our work with the United Nations specializing in the sustainable growth targets, specializing in basic human safety in areas like well being care, funds, private security. We see that in all types of the way. After all accessibility is one other large factor. Even for me, attending the present in 2024, that was one of many largest surprises and themes,” Shapiro stated. “I don’t suppose I even talked about that earlier than the present – how many individuals have been there searching on behalf of the incapacity group, and what number of firms have been responding to that with all types of know-how.”

Requested about different sizzling classes, Shapiro stated, “Clearly AI remains to be an enormous factor. It pervades nearly each class. Digital well being can also be very large. Mobility is big with electrical automobiles and linked vehicles, autonomy, sustainability. We’ve performed our personal pivots as properly. The idea of electrical energy being out there is just not one thing we’ve talked about at CES earlier than. Now we have now a complete convention monitor on it. With electrical vehicles, generative AI, and quantum, all of them use great quantities of electrical energy that we’re not ready for. Not stunning to me, quite a lot of firms within the final month have introduced offers with nuclear energy crops and issues like that, which is completely new, but it surely’s a means of coping with it.”

And Shapiro stated, “We’ll have exhibitors specializing in vitality financial savings on the provision facet, warmth discount, native manufacturing. We’ll even have panels speaking about how we are able to have a look at the electrical grid. Equally to that vein, we’ll have a shift that we haven’t had earlier than to quantum computing. We now have a half day of programming on that. Whereas AI and generative AI is at the moment the factor, now generative AI doesn’t get you to the end line with plenty of issues, for instance in well being care. It’s a complete shift upwards in computing that we haven’t had in a very long time.”

Regulators might be current, and Shapiro stated (earlier than the election passed off) he was involved that the U.S. has change into too aggressive in blocking mergers for antitrust causes. He worries that the Biden administration has been anti-innovation. I famous that I might like to see us return to balanced progress, the place we see innovation with AI, job progress for tech, and income progress for firms all on the similar time.

Shapiro stated, “What I’ve discovered in my profession is that you just by no means get to excellent, however you simply attempt to do higher than you probably did final 12 months. The definition of excellent modifications. I don’t suppose, in a free market economic system, that excellent is the place everybody will get to maintain their jobs. You need to be taught new abilities.”

He added, “There’s one other principle on the market, although, which is that it’s going to add extra free time, and that may generate its personal financial progress. My spouse goes to plenty of medical conferences, and there’s a generational distinction between medical doctors in that the incoming medical doctors don’t wish to work as onerous. They need common hours. They don’t need the prolonged hours. I’ve been speaking about this for 2 years now. It’s true, and I do know this as a result of I’ve talked to sufficient medical doctors in several fields about it. Individuals need time now. It in all probability predated COVID. Individuals worth expertise and time. That’s what it’s.”

Your CES survival ideas

A lot of the following tips are recycled from previous years, however I’ve gone by way of and renewed them with my newest information. As I discussed, it’s onerous to get round at CES. You must preserve appointments to a half hour however be aware that it takes time to stroll between venues. Chances are you’ll not notice it however the distance between lodges (that are very massive) and halls could look visually shut however they’re usually actually far aside.

Chances are you’ll encounter delays as a result of different individuals are not on time. And you could even have bother discovering folks at massive cubicles. So, it’s good to pad your schedule to account for attainable delays and isolate the actually necessary appointments.

The CES badges now have photographs on them, streamlining identification and making it tougher for folks to share badges. Since they’re paper badges (plastic eradicated within the identify of sustainability), it’s important to watch out to not lose them.

In your crowded flights, attempt to journey gentle. For Southwest, I at all times test in forward of boarding, setting an alarm for precisely 24 hours earlier than my flight. Examine your baggage in case you don’t must get wherever rapidly. Be ready for lengthy cab traces and rental automobile check-in traces. (Providers like Uber and Lyft are very helpful at CES, significantly as parking is just not plentiful sufficient and the massive casinos/lodges now cost a charge per go to at their self-parking garages). I don’t lease a automobile anymore. On the airport, it’s important to stroll to a delegated space in a parking storage and discover your rideshare in a specific parking slot to get out of the airport in an Uber/Lyft.

Uber and Lyft vehicles are actually the best way to journey from venue to venue now. In previous years I discovered that the pickup on the LVCC (close to the Renaissance Lodge) was a site visitors logjam. The Tesla tunnel (the place Tesla EVs take an underground tunnel from one location to a different) is nice for attending to a few of the lodges and between the central corridor and the west corridor of the LVCC. The tunnel now goes to the Resorts World Las Vegas, Westgate Las Vegas Resort & On line casino, Encore Las Vegas and Virgin Motels Las Vegas.

Schedule your appointments in areas which are close to one another, and test exhibitor areas on a CES map. Arrive early for keynotes as a result of the traces are lengthy. I don’t usually stray past LVCC/WestHall/TechWest/Venetian as a result of time it takes to get different locations.

I like to recommend sleep. The Vegas air is tremendous dry so possibly use a humidier or nostril spray. If the events are what you care about, there are sometimes occasion lists that flow into. You may Google CES 2025 occasion lists, however the KarenNet CES party listm has been around for a very long time.

Bear in mind to swap telephone numbers with the folks you might be assembly so you’ll be able to coordinate, significantly as somebody is normally held up by the crowds. Incorporate driving and consuming instances into your calendar or use a calendar that does that mechanically for you.

Smartphone reception is healthier than it was, but it surely’s nonetheless in all probability liable to interference. Textual content message is normally a good option to talk with coworkers. We at all times hunt down the Wi-Fi/5G havens within the press rooms or wherever we are able to discover them.

However carry a MiFi or activate a private hotspot in case you can; even lodge web connections are prone to be harassed to the restrict through the present. For those who’re chargeable for importing video, thanks for clogging the community for the remainder of us. By CES 2025, I hopefully gained’t must complain about this, as 5G networks ought to theoretically allow quicker connection speeds on mobile knowledge.

For those who accumulate plenty of swag, you’ll be able to ship it dwelling through delivery companies as a substitute of carting it on the aircraft. I believe that the price of delivery might be better than the worth of the swag.

You must print a map of the exhibit ground or rip one out of the present information. You must also print your tickets, schedule, and RSVPs for occasions — or make them simply accessible in your telephone. (If somebody steals your telephone or your major bag, you must have backups in a second bag).

You want battery backup to your laptop computer or smartphone, hand sanitizer, a great digicam, ibuprofen, and nutritional vitamins. I’ve acquired Acer Swift Go 14 and a spare Dynabook laptop computer this 12 months. The Acer specifically has a great battery life. Convey a backup for all the things, even when it’s important to depart it in your lodge room this 12 months.

I used to suggest taking enterprise playing cards. I lastly printed a batch for the primary time because the pandemic. Now you’ll be able to swap your LinkedIn credentials with folks through your smartphone. For those who’re exhibiting, put on your organization model in your shirt. Attempt very onerous to keep away from dropping your telephone. I put on a jacket with zippered pockets so I can put my telephone and pockets inside.

Make a while to stroll the present ground. If the cab/rideshare traces have you ever annoyed, don’t take into consideration strolling to a close-by lodge. Chances are high the cab line there’s additionally unhealthy, and the lodges are so big {that a} mirage impact makes them look deceptively shut. You probably have a rental automobile, attempt to not get caught in a site visitors jam in a 10-story parking storage. And at all times mark down the place you parked your automobile in your telephone map or paper.

Drink numerous water. Get some sleep — you actually don’t must occasion each evening. For probably the most half, I don’t shake fingers anymore, because it’s a good way to move germs round. As a substitute, I do fist bumps. You don’t wish to come again sick with “CES crud” or COVID.

Don’t miss your flight on the best way out. Pack up a bunch of snacks early on to keep away from getting caught in breakfast or lunch traces. Take a smartphone with a great digicam as a result of what occurs in Vegas … will get shared on the web.