CES 2025 suggestions and tips: A information to tech’s greatest commerce present

CES 2025 is coming to Las Vegas throughout the week of January 5, and it is going to be one of many greatest tech expos on this planet once more.

This yr’s present ought to be large once more. Final yr’s attendance reached 138,789, in accordance with an audited report by the Shopper Know-how Affiliation (CTA), the group that places on the present.

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

I’ve been attending the Shopper 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 turn out to be 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 Enviornment on the Mandalay Bay on January 6. Most attendees arrive on the present on January 7 and keep by means of January 10, when the expos are open. However the press — a number of 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 trying again at what you had written final yr about it, earlier than and after,” stated Gary Shapiro, CEO of the Shopper Know-how Affiliation, in an interview with GamesBeat. “Lots of people go along with a really full agenda, however we all the time say you must have time for serendipity and discovery. We have now 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, clear up, and uncover.”

He stated the typical attendee has about 29 conferences throughout the present, as face-to-face enterprise continues to be vital. About 75% of attendees say their enterprise is primarily B2B, or each B2B and B2C.

My No. 1 tip is to all the time put on snug footwear. I realized 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 displaying 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 lots of going for the primary time. I take no accountability for dangerous recommendation. You may take a look at the CES app right 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. ft of area. This yr, the present is no less than a number of days after New 12 months’s and that provides 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 yr. With practically 140,000 world attendees at CES 2024, we’re seeing optimistic momentum and curiosity from {industry} executives, prime producers, patrons, retailers, and media for CES 2025. Hundreds of startups and firms from world wide will showcase innovation that may clear up a few of our most urgent challenges.”

Do you have to go?

It’s a giant present, and, not like the gaming {industry}’s canceled E3 present, it’s nonetheless related. Final yr, there have been 5,355 media final yr, 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 overall, final yr. 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 yr’s prime areas of curiosity have been AI, automobile tech, IoT sensors, smarthomes and home equipment, AR/XR/VR, robotics, advertising and promoting, startups, video applied sciences, 5G, power/energy, cloud computing/information and health/wearables.

The yr 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, power/energy, health and wearables and advertising and promoting.

I nonetheless view CES as a bellwether for the tech financial system, as no different occasion spans your entire tech world prefer it does. Corporations wish to create a buzz at CES, which is designed to sign merchandise coming within the subsequent yr. I discover the present a helpful technique to keep in control on the most recent know-how. For those who discover the well being danger acceptable, then it may well nonetheless be a beneficial technique to keep in contact.

Apple doesn’t attend the present, however nearly each different tech big does. It’s the place the tech {industry} will probably be subsequent week, although it’s not a lot of a recreation occasion nowadays. Sony, nonetheless, will probably be displaying up and they’re anticipated to point out off the Afeela electrical automotive (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 techniques and contemporary air stream. 

The Las Vegas Conference Middle, Mandalay Bay and the Venetian Expo have been awarded World 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 ailments. 

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

Hand sanitization stations will probably 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 entering into the present

It’s a must 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 screen 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 choose up their very own CES 2025 official badge at a distant badge pickup location You can’t choose up badges for different attendees. I often choose mine up on the Las Vegas airport.

To choose up your badge at a distant badge choose up location, you need to current the next: Authorities-issued picture 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 safety measures imply attendees will face a bag search on the entrance to all present venues.

A singular electronic mail handle 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 will probably be at each the entrances to the venues and on the exhibit flooring. The venues will probably 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 might also be discovered on the On-Website Companies web page. You can too ask any CES employees member or venue or safety personnel. Chances are you’ll contact CES Safety or venue safety by means 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 contemplate their bag kind and use clear baggage (mesh, plastic, vinyl, and so forth.) 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 gear onto present premises in extra of the two-bag restriction. Gear is topic to look and tagged as accepted for entry.

Exhibitors are permitted to carry 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 might also usher in supplies on move-in days between 7:30 a.m. and 6 p.m.

You need to go away your baggage at your lodge. Nevertheless, there are bag-check services at LVCC outdoors of Central and West Halls, Venetian Expo, Stage 1 Foyer; and the Venetian Ballroom Lobby.

Peak occasions 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 partially as a result of he’s acquired an important 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 it is going to 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 referred to as Pace, Customization, Innovation: AI in Gaming, happening on the Aria Joshua 8 at 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Tuesday January 7. It’s about unleashing the ability of AI in recreation improvement. 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) concerning the CTA’s view of developments to observe. That may result in the press-only occasion, CES Unveiled, at 5 p.m. on the Mandalay Bay. That’s the place we get a primary take a look at the award winners for the CTA innovation contest.

Then comes (for the media) a baptism of fireplace 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 Middle. These press occasions occur in speedy hearth and it’s an actual problem to maintain up with the information. Fortuitously, most of the occasions are livestreamed for non-press to observe.

That is the day after I want the laptop computer with the longest battery life. (Sure, that’s nonetheless a difficulty). Then the press and others can head to the opening keynote speech for Jensen Huang, CEO of Nvidia, on the Mandalay Bay’s Michelob Enviornment at 6:30 p.m. I’m unsure 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 a giant press-only celebration 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 celebration takes place on the Bellagio on the night of January 7.

This yr, 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 will probably be good, in distinction to the torrential rains we noticed in 2018, when blackouts took out the principle present flooring.

For those who’re leaving the conference focus on 6 p.m., you possibly can catch a bus to many of the main motels. That’s an effective way to get off your ft 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 contemplate as nicely for some motels.

Getting misplaced within the maze

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

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

For those who’re actually bold, you might be strolling 30,000 steps a day, about three to 6 occasions as a lot as normal. For me, exhaustion units in round 20,000 steps. For those who can minimize some pointless strolling out of your day, that may be sensible to do.

This yr’s venues have been renamed the LVCC Campus (Las Vegas Conference Middle West Corridor, North Corridor, South Corridor and Central Corridor), Venetian Campus(The Venetian, Palazzo, Wynn, Encore at Wynn) and C Area 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 contains gaming, audio and video with enormous firms like Samsung, Sony, TCL, Canon, and extra. The North Corridor contains 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 autos, software program, suppliers and automobile tech.

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

Probably the most continuously visited halls at LVCC was the South Corridor, however this yr the multi-level corridor is closed.

In Tech South, at Aria Resort, yow will discover C Area, 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 a number of 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 financial system faces plenty of unknowns, like how pleasant towards tech and shopper gross sales the Trump administration will probably 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 all of the sudden price $1,000.

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

Beneath 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 improvement targets, specializing in basic human safety in areas like well being care, funds, private security. We see that in all types of the way. In fact accessibility is one other large factor. Even for me, attending the present in 2024, that was one of many greatest surprises and themes,” Shapiro stated. “I don’t assume I even talked about that earlier than the present – how many individuals have been there looking on behalf of the incapacity neighborhood, and what number of firms have been responding to that with all types of know-how.”

Requested about different scorching classes, Shapiro stated, “Clearly AI continues to be a giant factor. It pervades virtually each class. Digital well being can be very large. Mobility is large with electrical autos and related vehicles, autonomy, sustainability. We’ve finished our personal pivots as nicely. The idea of electrical energy being obtainable is just not one thing we’ve talked about at CES earlier than. Now now we have an entire convention observe on it. With electrical vehicles, generative AI, and quantum, all of them use large quantities of electrical energy that we’re not ready for. Not stunning to me, plenty of firms within the final month have introduced offers with nuclear energy crops and issues like that, which is completely new, nevertheless it’s a means of coping with it.”

And Shapiro stated, “We’ll have exhibitors specializing in power financial savings on the provision aspect, warmth discount, native manufacturing. We’ll even have panels speaking about how we will take 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 have now a half day of programming on that. Whereas AI and generative AI is presently 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 an entire shift upwards in computing that we haven’t had in a very long time.”

Regulators will probably be current, and Shapiro stated (earlier than the election came about) he was involved that the U.S. has turn out to be 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 development, the place we see innovation with AI, job development for tech, and income development for firms all on the identical time.

Shapiro stated, “What I’ve realized in my profession is that you just by no means get to good, however you simply attempt to do higher than you probably did final yr. The definition of good modifications. I don’t assume, in a free market financial system, that good is the place everybody will get to maintain their jobs. It’s a must 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 development. My spouse goes to plenty of medical conferences, and there’s a generational distinction between docs in that the incoming docs 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 docs in numerous fields about it. Individuals need time now. It most likely predated COVID. Individuals worth expertise and time. That’s what it’s.”

Your CES survival suggestions

A lot of the following pointers are recycled from previous years, however I’ve gone by means of and renewed them with my newest data. As I discussed, it’s onerous to get round at CES. You need to preserve appointments to a half hour however observe that it takes time to stroll between venues. Chances are you’ll not understand it however the distance between motels (that are very massive) and halls could look visually shut however they’re typically actually far aside.

Chances are you’ll encounter delays as a result of different individuals are delayed. And it’s possible you’ll even have hassle discovering folks at massive cubicles. So, it’s good to pad your schedule to account for potential delays and isolate the actually vital appointments.

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

In your crowded flights, attempt to journey mild. For Southwest, I all the time examine in forward of boarding, setting an alarm for precisely 24 hours earlier than my flight. Verify your baggage for those who don’t must get wherever rapidly. Be ready for lengthy cab traces and rental automotive check-in traces. (Companies like Uber and Lyft are very helpful at CES, significantly as parking is just not plentiful sufficient and the massive casinos/motels now cost a charge per go to at their self-parking garages). I don’t lease a automotive anymore. On the airport, you must stroll to a delegated space in a parking storage and discover your rideshare in a selected 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 Resort) 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 number of the motels 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 might be close to one another, and examine exhibitor areas on a CES map. Arrive early for keynotes as a result of the traces are lengthy. I don’t typically 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 celebration lists that flow into. You may Google CES 2025 celebration lists, however the KarenNet CES celebration listm has been round for a very long time.

Bear in mind to swap telephone numbers with the folks you might be assembly so you possibly can coordinate, significantly as somebody is often held up by the crowds. Incorporate driving and consuming occasions into your calendar or use a calendar that does that routinely for you.

Smartphone reception is best than it was, nevertheless it’s nonetheless most likely liable to interference. Textual content message is often a good technique to talk with coworkers. We all the time search out the Wi-Fi/5G havens within the press rooms or wherever we will discover them.

However carry a MiFi or activate a private hotspot for those who can; even lodge web connections are more likely to be harassed to the restrict throughout the present. For those who’re liable 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 information.

For those who gather plenty of swag, you possibly can ship it dwelling through transport companies as an alternative of carting it on the airplane. I believe that the price of transport might be higher than the worth of the swag.

You need to print a map of the exhibit flooring 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 main bag, it is best to have backups in a second bag).

You want battery backup on your laptop computer or smartphone, hand sanitizer, a superb digital camera, ibuprofen, and nutritional vitamins. I’ve acquired Acer Swift Go 14 and a spare Dynabook laptop computer this yr. The Acer specifically has a superb battery life. Convey a backup for every little thing, even when you must go away it in your lodge room this yr.

I used to suggest taking enterprise playing cards. I lastly printed a batch for the primary time because the pandemic. Now you possibly can 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 flooring. If the cab/rideshare traces have you ever pissed off, don’t take into consideration strolling to a close-by lodge. Likelihood is the cab line there may be additionally dangerous, and the motels are so enormous {that a} mirage impact makes them look deceptively shut. When you’ve got a rental automotive, attempt to not get caught in a site visitors jam in a 10-story parking storage. And all the time mark down the place you parked your automotive in your telephone map or paper.

Drink plenty of water. Get some sleep — you actually don’t must celebration each evening. For probably the most half, I don’t shake palms anymore, because it’s an effective 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 superb digital camera as a result of what occurs in Vegas … will get shared on the web.