Diving Headfirst Into CES 2019
January 17, 2019
After working behind the scenes in public relations preparing for CES 2018 – pitching, planning, scheduling, and more pitching – I was thrilled to have the opportunity to attend the largest tech and consumer electronics trade show this year– CES 2019.
The high-energy event played host to over 4,500 exhibiting companies, all there to demonstrate the world’s most innovative new products. With so much technology to digest all in one central destination, I’m sure I just barely scratched the surface during my experience at CES despite my efforts to visit as many sights and booths as possible. But even so, it was an eye-opening experience as a PR account executive.
CES: The Speed-Dating Version Of Networking
This year, more than 188,000 industry professionals, including more than 63,000 from outside the U.S., gathered in Las Vegas to take part in the ever-evolving global technology industry forward. From the hotel, to the sidewalks to lunch, dinner and the conference itself, I was surrounded by a wealth of beautiful languages, people and companies from all over the world.
CES 2019 presented boundless opportunities to meet industry experts, press and innovators. Engaging with people who stopped by the Holland Pavilion in Eureka Park at the Sands Expo was the speed-dating version of networking. With a nearly unlimited supply of technology to see, people had very limited time to stop by each booth. Despite the time constraints, it was a great opportunity to interact with experts who cared about each product and how it might impact industries and the future.
Let Originality Be Your Guide
I used any spare moments during the week to scour the show floor and take in as many new products and tech as I could. I noticed as I searched the floor, that some booths caught my attention much more than others. Of course, there are always the large players who rent out massive amounts of eye-catching booth space to highlight their products, but I was impressed by startups and smaller companies who made their booths – large or small – visually appealing and inviting. Originality and creativity in presentation were essential elements in making the most of each booth at CES.
Prepare to Throw Your Preparation to the Wind
Preparation is, of course, an important part of any successful mission – personal, professional or otherwise. Preparing for CES is a must. However, at the same time, upon arriving at the conference, it was clear that any kind of preparation would not truly prepare me for the real experience. There’s nothing so valuable as diving into the real thing and soaking up as much experience and knowledge as possible.
As a public relations professional working behind the scenes, studying up on and writing about our clients’ products and services is certainly educational. There’s nothing quite like the real thing and being there in the mix of it all. Attending CES 2019 allowed me to enjoy a front-row seat to see and experience Pal-V, the world’s first flying car, the safest (and fastest!) electric scooter on the market, AppScooter by Etergo, and Somnox, the world’s first sleep robot – not to mention working closely with the Dutch Consulate in San Francisco and Prince Constantijn van Oranje-Nassau from The Netherlands. I was also able to meet press I’d reached out to over email in person and get to know them better. CES 2019 was essentially an immersive experience with amazing clients and their products.
CES 2019 was a positive experience for me. It was exciting to see many of the clients and products we work with daily – driving their PR coverage and managing media outreach on their behalf. I enjoyed being up-close and personal with global brands and futuristic technology from across the globe – and diving headfirst into CES.
Tara Hill
Account Executive
Diving Headfirst Into CES 2019
January 17, 2019
After working behind the scenes in public relations preparing for CES 2018 – pitching, planning, scheduling, and more pitching – I was thrilled to have the opportunity to attend the largest tech and consumer electronics trade show this year– CES 2019.
The high-energy event played host to over 4,500 exhibiting companies, all there to demonstrate the world’s most innovative new products. With so much technology to digest all in one central destination, I’m sure I just barely scratched the surface during my experience at CES despite my efforts to visit as many sights and booths as possible. But even so, it was an eye-opening experience as a PR account executive.
CES: The Speed-Dating Version Of Networking
This year, more than 188,000 industry professionals, including more than 63,000 from outside the U.S., gathered in Las Vegas to take part in the ever-evolving global technology industry forward. From the hotel, to the sidewalks to lunch, dinner and the conference itself, I was surrounded by a wealth of beautiful languages, people and companies from all over the world.
CES 2019 presented boundless opportunities to meet industry experts, press and innovators. Engaging with people who stopped by the Holland Pavilion in Eureka Park at the Sands Expo was the speed-dating version of networking. With a nearly unlimited supply of technology to see, people had very limited time to stop by each booth. Despite the time constraints, it was a great opportunity to interact with experts who cared about each product and how it might impact industries and the future.
Let Originality Be Your Guide
I used any spare moments during the week to scour the show floor and take in as many new products and tech as I could. I noticed as I searched the floor, that some booths caught my attention much more than others. Of course, there are always the large players who rent out massive amounts of eye-catching booth space to highlight their products, but I was impressed by startups and smaller companies who made their booths – large or small – visually appealing and inviting. Originality and creativity in presentation were essential elements in making the most of each booth at CES.
Prepare to Throw Your Preparation to the Wind
Preparation is, of course, an important part of any successful mission – personal, professional or otherwise. Preparing for CES is a must. However, at the same time, upon arriving at the conference, it was clear that any kind of preparation would not truly prepare me for the real experience. There’s nothing so valuable as diving into the real thing and soaking up as much experience and knowledge as possible.
As a public relations professional working behind the scenes, studying up on and writing about our clients’ products and services is certainly educational. There’s nothing quite like the real thing and being there in the mix of it all. Attending CES 2019 allowed me to enjoy a front-row seat to see and experience Pal-V, the world’s first flying car, the safest (and fastest!) electric scooter on the market, AppScooter by Etergo, and Somnox, the world’s first sleep robot – not to mention working closely with the Dutch Consulate in San Francisco and Prince Constantijn van Oranje-Nassau from The Netherlands. I was also able to meet press I’d reached out to over email in person and get to know them better. CES 2019 was essentially an immersive experience with amazing clients and their products.
CES 2019 was a positive experience for me. It was exciting to see many of the clients and products we work with daily – driving their PR coverage and managing media outreach on their behalf. I enjoyed being up-close and personal with global brands and futuristic technology from across the globe – and diving headfirst into CES.
