Well it is January and that means it is CES time for me. CES is the Consumer Electronics Show and it is the biggest trade show in North America. I have been going to the show and covering it for ThinkComputers since 2006 so I think by now I am a seasoned veteran and know my way around pretty well. Here are some tips to surviving CES if you are covering the show.
Schedule Meetings Together – This is huge! Not all of your meetings will be on the show floor. They will most likely be spread out between different hotels and meeting rooms throughout Las Vegas. It is best to schedule your meetings together. What I mean by that is if 4 companies who are at the Venetian want to meet with me I will schedule all of them in on day and close together. That way I am not running around Vegas from meeting to meeting. I made that mistake my first year at CES!
Comfortable shoes and clothes – CES is the largest trade show in North America and that means there is going to be a lot to cover. Do yourself a favor and make sure you wear comfortable shows and clothes. I again made this mistake my first time going to the show. I cam home with multiple blisters!
Make Use of the Monorail – The monorail is a life saver! While it does get extremely crowded during CES it is still one of the fastest ways to get to the convention center, just make sure you get there early enough because there will be a line. Also using the monorail will save you much more money than getting cabs. Another good idea would be to stay at a hotel on the strip that is close to a monorail station.
Make sure you eat and get some sleep – This is a big thing that I really did not consider my first couple of CES trips. CES is sort of like marathon. You have meetings all day, press events after that then industry parties all night. On top of that you are rushing to get content out. It is very important to try and get as much sleep as you can and to eat. I know it is very hard to eat healthy in Vegas, but that also goes a long way.
Be prepared for horrible internet – In my experience each different hotel that I’ve stayed at has horrible Internet during the week of CES. There are just so many people in Vegas and of course we are all online getting content out and uploading videos etc. The internet at your hotel is going to be horrible, so prepare for that. The only place that I’ve experienced good internet during CES was Vdara and it was their wired connection.
RELAX! – Finally the last piece of advice I am going to give you is to relax! CES is an extremely hectic week and it is easy to get stressed out. Just calm down and relax. If you happen to be late for a meeting or something else happens companies are used to it and it will not be a big deal. Being stressed during CES is not a fun thing!
Well I hope this guide has given you some pointers if you are covering the show this year!