Why CES Is the World’s Best Hub For Global Business

At the first CES? in 1967, some 17,000 tech buyers crammed into the New York Hilton and Americana hotels to see the latest electronics – pocket radios and televisions with integrated circuits. They were mesmerized.

Fifty years later, more than 175,000 executives marveled at the innovations of over 3,800 exhibitors in Las Vegas for CES 2017. The radios, TVs and phonographs of 50 years ago have given way to drones, robotics, self-driving cars, wearables, smartphones, biometrics, 4K Ultra High Definition TVs, the Internet of Things and an array of dazzling new products and services defining a better future.

The show’s growth is spectacular in itself. It speaks to the ever-increasing ways technology can change our lives for the better, as well as innovation’s essential role in the world economy. But more than numbers, the diversity of exhibitors in terms of industry and geography – from Nissan to United Healthcare – captures the heart of CES today. There’s a reason that my organization, the owner and producer of CES, changed its name from the Consumer Electronics Association to the Consumer Technology Association (CTA)?? in 2015.

In 1967, when you mentioned technology, you meant electronics, but not anymore.

Yes, CES features the latest in laptops, smartphones and televisions, but this has become just one part of a huge worldwide event. CES 2017 hosted exhibitors from not only the traditional consumer technology industry, but also the telecom, auto, health care, entertainment, sports and advertising industries.

Attendees heard keynotes from CEOs of nontraditional tech companies, such as Carnival Corp. and Under Armour. About 30 percent of all CES attendees — 55,000 professionals — traveled to Las Vegas from 150 countries outside the U.S. They wanted to learn the latest trends in their industry, and network with thousands of others in their fields. Such networking opportunities have allowed CES startups to raise more than $1 billion in funds since 2012 alone.

But CES is about more than just individual market sectors and industries. CES has become the world’s foremost hub for international business at large, regardless of industry. Because virtually every industry is now in some way a tech industry, it’s critical for business leaders to see how tech trends might affect their sector. CES attendees see and interact with more than just individual products. They experience how products fit into larger categories, and discover and experience broader trends.

What could a clothing company learn about the new innovations in technologies that enable circuitry to be printed on fabric? What might a computer company learn about how telecom companies are improving their networks? What does a city planner want to hear from a car manufacturer innovating new self-driving features? These questions reveal how intermingled the business world has become.

Seventy-six percent of Fortune 100 companies had a presence at CES 2016, and they didn’t come just to play the latest virtual-reality game system. The more than 6,500 media representatives who attended this year – a third of whom come from outside the U.S. – aren’t interested solely in tech. They want to see the future of business. CES attendees want to know where the global economy will be in the next 10, 15 or 20 years.

Established companies and industries aren’t the only sectors that benefit from CES. At our Eureka Park area, startups showcase their new ideas, products or services to potential investors and customers. This year, even Eureka Park went global, with four country pavilions representing startups from the Czech Republic, France, Israel and the Netherlands.

AT CTA, we work hard to provide attendees with a balanced CES experience. We want them to have fun while they conduct business. And CES will never stray from its roots, showcasing the future one mind-blowing technology at a time.