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Who Goes To CES?
itwbennett writes "The Consumer Electronics Association stopped letting actual consumers attend the gadget extravaganza years ago, but even so, plenty of attendees can't exactly be described 'industry affiliates'. IDG News Service turned up a motorcycle stuntman, a restorer of 8-track tapes, and a lot of folks who were there just for fun."
Those that go there are they with a product to hawk and the money to rent the space at the show. Nothing more really. Lots of crap-ware there from groups trying to get some quick bucks from investors or resellers.
"Have you ever thought about just turning off the TV, sitting down with your kids, and hitting them?"
I've been attending "industry-only" events for decades. All you need is a business card, which as you know, you can have made at Staples for $20 or less. You tell then you're a "buyer" or something like that, and they let you in, no questions asked.
Heck, last time I attended CES you were able to pick up your badge AT THE AIRPORT in Vegas. Hows that for convenience? I was able to have a badge handed to me before I could locate my luggage.
If telephones are outlawed, then only outlaws will have telephones.
It's the same thing that E3 devolved into, really. A big dog and pony show with 50% the population of attendees made up of people that shouldn't be there, 49% made up of press and pseudopress bloggers, and 1% made up of people that should actually be there.
..., that's right, despite the fact that Apple did not officially attend.
Gotta get those patent suits started early.
The Daddy casts sleep on the Baby. The Baby resists!
Was able to get into the Winter CES in Chicago back in the early 90s just because I was a register drone at Babbage's (computer software and video game store for you youngn's.) I think they had me down as "buyer" even though I had nothing to do with what the company stocked. Hell a buddy of mine who built PCs in his basement got in with a "technician" badge. As long as you didn't show up with children in tow and could ask reasonably coherent questions they were mostly happy to deal with people that were a half step above "Joe Q. Public."
actually, it was more interesting when the adult entertainment expo was happening next door.
The kind who knows that I go early every year and rub my balls on everything.
SJW: Someone who has run out of real oppression, and has to fake it.
I went in 2007 as an unemployed student. A group of us printed business cards labelled with our Computer Science club's name, made up positions for everyone, and drove to Vegas. Most of the others got "engineering" badges. I think it was required for at least one "sales" person to go...and I ended up with that badge.
It is pitch black. You are likely to be eaten by a grue.
CES is mainly a bunch of useless consumer crap. The high end of that market, plus all the professional gear is at NAB. It's the same megavendors and the display spaces are almost identical for both shows, but NAB has much cooler stuff on display.
Nothing worthwhile ever happens before noon
You are clearly not doing it right, then.
Last time I went (technically as an exhibitor, but I was mostly setting up and mantaining hardware for demos) I ate for free at 4-5 ridiculously expensive restaurants. The final night we managed to spend over $200 per person at N9NE, hit two different clubs, hung out with some really interesting/bizarre "attendees" of the *other* conference (AVN) at the Venetian, and somehow managed to stumble back to the hotel room at 7am just in time to catch a cab to the airport. THAT'S how you do CES...