Slaying the Dragon that is CES 2016

Happy New Year! After attending the Consumer Electronics Show for nearly the past decade and hearing lots and lots of “horror stories” over the years, I thought I would share a few lessons learned whether you are a CES Newbie or boarding a plane this weekend for McCarran International Airport for the 20th consecutive time.

Have a can’t-miss CES tip for your fellow show-goers? Please take a moment to post it in the comments section to share with the larger community.

You Are Not a Wolf! Avoid the Pack Mentality

When I go to a conference, time and time again I’ll grab lunch and meet Bob, Bill, Jane, Sally, Susan, and Mike the intern, all from Vandelay Industries and sadly, all sitting next to one another!  They probably eat lunch together every day, attend multiple meetings together each week, have met each other’s children, and then travel hundreds of miles and pay thousands in travel to an incredible networking event to do exactly the same?  Why (besides that it is human nature to gravitate toward your comfort zone)?  This show, make a point of spreading out, dividing and conquering, be strangers in the night, and meet hundreds of NEW people.  You have over 175,000 to choose from. Your next customer, partner, supplier, or star team member is probably out there… waiting to hear, “Hi, my name is Jeff, where are you from?” Try it….

Skip the (Live) Keynotes

Every year, CEA does a wonderful job of putting together a slate of incredible keynote speakers. 2016 is no different.  Not just CEO’s – but CEO’s from some of the leading rock star automotive, wireless, and consumer electronics companies all on a single stage.  Why play hooky?  First, almost all of news will be featured in a carefully crafted press release simultaneously dropped as the speaker hits the podium.  Second, each session will be taped and streamed at no charge over the Web.  Third, tickets, security, and logistics can be a major time sink (who wants to spend two hours in line?).  And finally, watching a keynote is purely a 1-way activity – you can do better – pick an interactive opportunity to engage… you have just as much to offer as that speaker under the spotlight.

Find Your Goldilocks – And Maybe Your Pot of Gold 

Part of CES is about market intelligence, learning about how a product/service actually works, and more importantly, how a demonstration fits into the broader landscape.  Find your Goldilocks!  What I mean is that try to avoid the executive spin doctor who knows all of the talking points, but not the technical details. Avoid the booth trooper who is excellent at keeping the brochures stocked and the swag flowing to tote bag guy, but could literally be a hired gun with no knowledge of the company itself.  Instead, seek out the battle-hardened product managers who sweated out the product development over the past couple of years, know the future roadmap like the back of their hand (and may even share glimpses and hints with you), and probably aren’t so polished as to give you the story as straight as it comes.  On the flip side (counterintelligence care point coaching advised), product managers can be the best salespeople (for buyers and the media) as well, so don’t be afraid to put them out there front and center and let them shine!

Be Present

Whether the article is about management, human resources, raising a successful 7-year-old, or personal health, the buzzword for the New Year is about being “Present.”  Why should CES be any different?  This year, I actively pushed back on remote assignments and will do my best to give CES 110% of my attention. That means responding to e-mails at the end of each day, not scheduling call after call with HQ while frantically looking for a non-existent quiet spot behind a Wheel of Fortune slot machine, and walking through halls with your head up/eyes open and not buried in your iPhone.  Why travel all the way to Las Vegas to keep one foot (or more) at home?  Beyond your meetings, there are literally hundreds of tours, analyst chats (with entertaining folks like me), networking events, cocktail hours, and sales prospects sitting at the hotel bar or playing blackjack. Stay engaged.    

The Beauty of Adjacency

Chances are, you will spend a lot of time “covering” the 'bread and butter' players, booths, and demonstrations within your own industry.  As the North American head for an automotive technology research firm, that means automakers, Tier 1 suppliers, and various service providers.  But my goal each year is to find adjacent and innovative ideas impacting the future of my industry (and our coverage of such) as well.  Whether it was baby monitoring, posture start-ups, or B2B drones I saw last year, take an afternoon and wander around South Hall or the start-up marketplaces – it only takes one idea to make your whole trip more than worth it.  Worst case, you might score a new stress ball, iPhone case or battery pack (see below).

Hone Your Elevator Pitch

CES is loud, time-crunched, and flashy. Quiet, verbose, and understated pitches simply will not cut it.  I am not saying that dancing holograms are required, just that you must be able to provide sales prospects or members of the media with a concise Who, What, When, Why, and Where in an impactful couple of minutes.  And while it may be too late for you in 2016, showing vs. telling is absolutely required.  And this is something that can be practiced (and practiced, and practiced).  Can everybody (and I mean everybody!) on your CES travel team be able to quickly share an overview of your company, communicate the key news/talking points you are trying to make,  rattle off your booth/suite location from memory, and describe why it is a “must” to stop by?  If not, there is still time to practice.  And keep in mind that the pitch that works for a Tier 1 auto supplier might not be the same angle that captures the attention of a Silicon Valley upstart.        

A Winning CES Report

You have an important responsibility.  Attending CES is often a privilege, not a right.  Given the political nature of who makes the CEO’s (or, even worse, the CFO’s) “CES cut list”, do yourself proud by publishing a rock-solid post-CES Report.  At SBD, we cover CES in incredible detail for all of our key customers.  A few tips we have learned along the way: a) Don’t focus on being the dude who can click the e-mail send button the fastest for circulating every press release first, yet publish a thoughtful report in a timely manner; b) Make it interactive – our CES 2015 report had nearly 40 videos of key demonstrations to bring the show to life for someone who couldn’t be there; c) Identify the key themes and ‘bin’ the content into a digestible format that can communicate the “big picture”; d) Come up with a pre-research plan – CES is no time for haphazard, on-the-fly research (it is simply too large, and there is just not enough time) – your colleagues should all be given a targeted plan and research responsibilities as well; and most important, E) Include key implications for YOUR organization – no 3rd party or CES recap article can do this for you – what I’m saying is what does company X’s demonstration or competitive announcement mean to YOUR strategy, YOUR R&D investments, YOUR pricing, YOUR product roadmap, etc. Headlines are a dime a dozen – your report must be absolutely individual and absolutely relevant.   

A Follow-Up Plan

The quintessential CES meeting is only ~20% of the battle! This is simply the price of entry. The best companies complete a Return on Investment (ROI) based on measurable and tracked metrics, have a personal thank you (and LinkedIn invite) out the door to all new contacts by the first part of the following week, and put as much time into follow-up with prospects and future business relationships as debating about the font size of the booth walls, wording of the perfect press release, as well as what restaurant to pick for the key breakfast.  We are only a week into 2016, which means you have a long road ahead of you to reap the rewards of a week in Las Vegas.

Other Housekeeping Tips (All Learned the Hard Way)

CES starts on a Wednesday, not Tuesday this year (although nothing wrong with being a day early, I guess).  Carry >$200 in cash.  Watch your stuff (I was a petty victim in 2013).  Leave 45 minutes+ between scheduled meetings.  Drink a cocktail of Tylenol, Alka Seltzer, vitamins, and ice water before bed each night. Portable cell phone charger/back-up battery is a must.  Dinner reservations often required.  Comfortable > trendy shoes.  Don’t rely on the official CES App (still leaves a lot to be desired).  Map out your schedule each morning and prioritize competing events, so you aren’t waiting in line for a b-list party wishing you were all the way down the Strip meeting some key prospects.  Plan for times of no wireless coverage.  Say yes to the company shuttles (cab lines can get really long, the lines for the Las Vegas Monorail are often worse, and walking distances are twice as far as you think – “I see the Trump logo right there!”). Know the back-door drop-off points for LVCC.  Review the new CES 2016 baggage policy.  You are too old to pose as a ‘college researcher’ (plus, it is highly unethical and lowbrow).  Check the hours of all food venues (many don’t serve breakfast or close early on weeknights).  CES is a wonderful staff recruiting opportunity.  Limit on-site meetings with companies in your home state/region – you can do that the other 51 weeks of the year.  Pick up your badge at the airport.

Have Fun

Despite all of the gratis (and hopefully insightful) advice from an old seer, chances are you will return home with a bad cold, dead tired, a little grumpy, and generally behind on all of your other ‘work’ when everyone else is at their desk firing off e-mails and urgent demands.  But seriously, how many chances will you get to touch, smell, and play with the greatest new technologies in the world?  So as you are packing your bags, checking off final details, and panicking about last minute meeting confirmations, take a deep breath, smile, and remember to have fun this week!

Have a safe trip to Las Vegas everybody and enjoy the show.  I hope to see you there – unless, of course, your kids were at our house over the holidays or we just had lunch last month (I will politely ignore you….).