CES 2016 ended its four-day run on Saturday as the tech show’s most expansive one yet, breaking records across the board.
According to the Consumer Technology Association (CTA), the show’s producer, more than 3,800 exhibitors touching every major global industry filled nearly 2.5 million net square feet of exhibit space last week at multiple locations in and around Las Vegas.
The event drew more than 170,000 industry professionals, including more than 50,000 from outside the U.S., representing over 150 countries and more than 100 official delegations, including the first Cuban delegation organized by the Cuban Embassy of the U.S.
>> See highlight video with official show stats here.
“At CES 2016 everyone saw that tech is about more than single products and services, it is about improving our world and providing hope for our future,” said CTA president/CEO Gary Shapiro. “It was awe-inspiring to see traditional and non-traditional ‘tech’ industries meet to brainstorm, partner and collaborate on ways to do business and address global issues.”
He continued, “Technology now touches every facet of our lives, from improving our workouts and the way we sleep, to keeping us safe on the roads and in our homes and even preventing or treating illnesses. CES has cemented its position as the global gathering place for all industries to be wowed by the tens of thousands of ways that technology is changing the world as we know it.”
Underscoring CES’s role as a crucible of innovation and emerging tech trends was the turnout for start-up section Eureka Park Marketplace, which drew 500 new businesses, up from 375 in 2015.
With more than 6,000 members of the media in attendance, including TWICE’s CES Official Show Daily team, the event also garnered worldwide media coverage and significant social media momentum, including 1,278,870 mentions of the #CES2016 hashtag and 15.2 billion total potential social media impressions from Jan. 5-9.
Here’s what top attendees had to say:
Henry Juszkiewicz, CEO, Gibson Brands: “CES allows us to reach almost all of our key global partners — dealers, technology partners, suppliers and a huge press core from around the world — in a single efficient place. It is not possible to touch base with so many relationships anywhere else.”
John Penny, chief strategy officer, Starz: “CES is the one place where expanding global innovation, the technology community and government can join and showcase a better future for us all.”
Paul Sabbah, president, Stamford International: “Eureka Park was incredibly inspiring. The exhibitors see a future that many of us have forgotten was ever there.”
David Hagan, chairman/CEO, Boingo Wireless: “You see so many important trends at CES. This week we saw that devices are no longer just connecting to the Internet, they are increasingly connected to each other.”
Pat Lavelle, president and CEO, VOXX International: “We had amazing press coverage. We were able to see our customers, government guests and international partners all in one place.”
Lee Cheng, chief legal officer, senior VP, corporate development and corporate secretary, Newegg: “Having Uber and Lyft available here was just amazing. It made it so much easier and convenient to get around and attend meetings.”
CTA will release final CES 2016 attendance figures upon completion of the show’s independent audit late this spring. CES will return to Las Vegas Jan. 5-8, 2017 (Thursday through Sunday), with a stopover in Shanghai, China May 11-13 for CES Asia.
A full recap of CES 2016, including significant products and events you may have missed, will appear in the Jan. 25 issue of TWICE.
