PCR Tech and IT retail, distribution and vendor news
CES 2020 kicks off today (7th January). It is the world’s largest gathering place for exhibiting the latest consumer technologies, and has served as the proving ground for innovators for 50 years, showcasing more than 4,500 companies, running a conference program with more than 250 sessions, and attracting more than 170,000 attendees from 160 countries.
Despite being a staple in the global tech industry calendar, with 11 official venues and more than 2.9 million net square feet of exhibit space, it’s fair to say that planning out your time at the show can be quite a mammoth task. But fear not weary traveller, for PCR has sifted through the 36 product categories, 22 marketplaces and abundance of conferences to bring you our condensed guide to what’s on at CES 2020.
THEMES
CES 2020 will feature a vast array of topics, not all of which will be totally relevant to the IT and tech retail channel. But the ones we recommend looking out for are:
5G and IoT – which will focus on resilience, smart cities and sustainability
Automotive – covering self-driving cars and vehicle technology
Blockchain – delving into the world of cryptopcurrency Health & Wellness – looking at accessibility, digital health and
wearables
Home & Family – covering everything in the categories of home entertainment, smart home and travel tech
Immersive entertainment – which will look at augmented and virtual reality gaming
Robotics & Machine Learning – showcasing the latest in artificial intelligence, drones and robotics
Sports – demonstrating the latest esports and sporting technology
KEYNOTES AND CONFERENCES
Every year, CES attendees get the chance to hear from top execs at some of the biggest brands in the business about their latest tech and goals for the year ahead. As well as talking about their own companies, a number of key industry members will host talks and panel discussions about the important topics affecting business and innovation today.
Running every day of the show, here’s our suggestions for which ones to make sure you catch:
Samsung’s Hyun-Suk Kim
Hyun-Suk Kim, president and CEO of the consumer electronics division at Samsung, will present the company’s vision for “revolutionising the consumer lifestyle, impacting the way people work, play and connect with each other”. Kim will share Samsung’s role in shaping a new consumer experience for global citizens through its cutting-edge technologies. The pre-show keynote “will set the stage for CES 2020”.
Consumer Technology Association’s Tiffany Moore
Tiffany M. Moore serves as senior vice president of political and industry affairs for the Consumer Technology Association. She will be involved in three sessions at the show: “Implementing Diversity from the Top”, “Investing in Diversity” and “Tech is Ready for Our 5G Future”.
Putting the “C” in CMO
Meet the CMOs who are driving the business agenda and shaping corporate strategy. Dynamic CMOs from leading businesses will talk about growth, disruption and the role marketing can — and should — play in business. This session will include: CTA’s Jean Foster, Deloitte’s Diana O’Brien, and General Motors’ Deborah Wahl.
Geek Meets Chic – The Marriage of Creativity
New form factors, conductive fabrics and flexible batteries have affected changes in fashion and personal style. Innovators are creating clothing featuring not only lights and sensors, but also ID tagging for retail and payment systems and embedded biometric measuring tattoos. Speakers for this session will include Loomia’s Madison Maxey, BrainUp’s Sarah Wang, and Liquid Wire’s Mark Ronay amongst others.
Magic Leap’s Omar Khan
Omar Khan is the chief product officer at Magic Leap, in charge of the company’s product, solutions, and service strategies. He will be at CES taking part in the “Reality of Smart City Development” session.
Apple’s Jane Horvath
The senior director for global privacy at Apple will take part in the Chief Privacy Officer Roundtable, which will discuss how privacy is now a strategic imperative for all consumer businesses and will ask the question: “What do consumers want?”
SHOW FLOOR
With more than 4,500 exhibiting companies vying for your attention at CES 2020, the sheer amount of tech on show can be overwhelming. So why not start with these handful of companies that are set to show off something exciting this year?
Bosch
LVCC, Central Hall – 12401
Bosch will be hosting a press conference at the beginning of the show to unveil its latest technology in the areas of biometrics, smart home and vehicle technology.
Cybershoes
LVCC, South Hall 1 – 21645
Earlier this year, this company was featured in one of our crowdfunding roundups, now, Cybershoes is looking to go big at CES and showcase its VR accessory that lets gamers walk and run in virtual worlds.
Gigabyte
LVCC, South Hall 1 – 20925
Perhaps best known for its wide range of motherboards, graphics cards, laptops and mini computers, Gigabyte will be at CES 2020 to showcases a number of new technologies within the smart city, cloud and 5G sectors.
Jabra
LVCC, South Hall 2 – MP25680
Jabra will be showcasing its latest Panacast video collaboration solutions as well as its consumer audio offerings at the show. You can find out more about Jabra’s latest tech in our big interview on p16.
Royole
LVCC, Central Hall – 11524
This company has made quite a splash in the industry with its flexible displays and folding mobile devices over the past year, and we’re sure there will be plenty more impressive innovations at CES 2020.
Ring
Sands, Halls A-D – 42319
As the smart home sector continues its rapid expansion, Ring has been a big contender in the smart security area, especially with its doorbells. Expect even more integration in the year ahead.
Swann
Westgate, Hospitality Suites – Westgate Hospitality Suites
Ring aren’t the only ones making waves in the smart security sector. Swann’s wire-free HD cameras and doorbells, professional CCTV systems, and motion sensing devices will all be on show at CES 2020.
Targus
LVCC, South Hall 3 – 31147
Aimed at on-the-go professionals, Targus will be bringing its range of mobile accessories to CES and also targeting the education and gaming sectors.
ESSENTIAL INFO
CES runs from Tuesday 7th to Friday 10th January 2020 across 11 official venues grouped into three geographical areas: Tech East, Tech West and Tech South.
Tech East includes: Las Vegas Convention and World Trade Center (LVCC), Westgate Las Vegas, and Renaissance Las Vegas
Tech West includes: Sands Expo, The Venetian, The Palazzo, Wynn Las Vegas, and Encore at Wynn (Encore)
Tech South includes: ARIA, Park MGM/Park Theater, and Vdara
Dates and hours
Keynotes and Conference programme: 9:30am – 4:30pm each day at Tech East, Tech West and Tech South.
Exhibition space: 10am – 6pm on 7th, 9am – 6pm on 8th and 9th, 9am – 4pm on 19th across Tech East and Tech West
C Space Conference Program & Exhibition: 9am – 5pm on 7th, 8th and 9th at ARIA
The PCR Awards 2020 takes place in London on 4th March. Don’t miss out on a chance to be in the room with 500+ industry peers. Book your tables and tickets now!
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