2008 CES Las Vegas

This is my short story of a first year visit to the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) which began in Las Vegas, Nevada on January 7th, 2008. This article also supplements my 2008 International CES Computer Technology Highlights report of notable product findings. Prior to starting Benchmark Reviews in March 2007, I had only heard of the aftermath and accolades from the stories handed down from affiliate webmasters from the previous years' CES. Since I am a resident of Nevada, I feel the gravitational pull of Las Vegas more than a few times per year; most in part to my competitions twice per year in the Grappler's Quest National Tournaments. But this year I was on a mission: meet the manufacturers, ask the important questions, and attend the parties. This is a diary of the most interesting experiences while I attended the 2008 International CES convention, and the lessons I learned the hard way. This article is dedicated to anyone who is considering, planning, or just slightly curious about joining the crowd in Sin City.

Fresh from enjoying a local convention for a change at the recent 2007 Super Computing Convention (SC07)in Reno, Nevada, I felt like I was ready to experience the largest gathering of technology-hungry consumers in America. In preparation I visited the CES website almost two months prior to the show, and registered as a press attendant. Unlike at SC'07 where press attendance was meager and exhibiting manufacturers actually acknowledged your existence, CES was a different animal all-together. For a brief moment it reminded me of when I was in the Marines: SC07 was like being home in uniform and standing out against everyone else, whereas at CES I was just another uniformed body in a large formation of bodies. The Consumer Electronics Show had somehow given me the idea that it was designed for consumers, and that I would be a visitor with credentials. I was so wrong.

As it turns out, Benchmark Reviews earned me a press credential which placed me with the majority of visitors to the show. While red press/analyst/blogger/media seemed to be on the badge holders of almost every other person in attendance, the remain half were wearing green badge holders with buyer or research on them. Only a small fraction were actual visitors with no professional industry relationship. Clearly depicted in the images above, which were from the Las Vegas Convention Center (LVCC) Central Hall area on Monday morning, the show was packed with camera-laden techies.

That's me in the back with the black shirt and red lanyard... yeah right. There were so many people, it suddenly made perfect sense as to why the badge had an RFID tag in it. I can't even begin to imagine what kind of data those little tracking devices gave the show promoters. The images above represent the steady flow of traffic for the first half of day one.

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