Who Goes To CES?

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Posted by samzenpus on Thursday January 12, 2012 @08:18AM from the besides-timothy-that-is dept.

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."

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Duh. by tekrat · 2012-01-12 08:37 · Score: 4, Insightful

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.

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If telephones are outlawed, then only outlaws will have telephones.
same as e3 by bhcompy · 2012-01-12 08:37 · Score: 4, Interesting

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.
Re:Who wants to go? by noh8rz2 · 2012-01-12 09:02 · Score: 5, Insightful

actually, it was more interesting when the adult entertainment expo was happening next door.
Re:Who wants to go? by elrous0 · 2012-01-12 09:09 · Score: 4, Funny

The kind who knows that I go early every year and rub my balls on everything.

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SJW: Someone who has run out of real oppression, and has to fake it.
NAB is better by soundguy · 2012-01-12 10:01 · Score: 4, Interesting

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.

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Nothing worthwhile ever happens before noon
Re:The joy of CES by Dahamma · 2012-01-12 10:14 · Score: 4, Insightful

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...