Stealing the Show at CES
By Joan Touchstone, Senior Vice President
I’ve attended and participated in CES many times over the years, and if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s to wear sensible shoes. But beyond “standing up,” what helps you stand out at one of the most crowded and strategically important consumer tech events of the year?
At CES 2020, my team and I at DKC navigated strategy and onsite support for some of the most exciting brands in mobility: BMW, Segway and Sublue. Here is some of the hard learned, hard earned advice that led to more than 1,000 print, online and broadcast features, including dozens of “Best of CES” designations, unique articles in AP, New York Times, WIRED, WSJ, CNET, TechCrunch and TIME, and segments on ABC, CBS, CNN, E! and The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, among others.
Mobilize Early and Often — Companies can win or lose CES well before the actual event, so we lock in strategy and get into action well before we touch down in Vegas. First, we have conversations brewing with tier 1 media year-round, so we have a sense of what’s going to get them excited. We work to set the agenda for the show by getting news about the booth experience or new products out well before the show. This steers top tier media to schedule time to speak with executives in advance or fill up our appointments at the show.
Identify the Innovative — CES is geared towards the amazing, the unusual and the futuristic. Working with our clients’ marketing and events teams, we know what will deliver headlines: a swimming pool on the show floor with hourly demos of an underwater scooter; a personal transporter shaped like an egg to whisk you around; the world’s most relaxing seat in a car powered by next-gen technology. We leaned heavily on these narratives and sights, counseling our clients on strategy for maximizing these activations.
Stay in Touch with Friends — There is a real network effect when you’re working with a well-connected team. We truly share the wealth when it comes to introductions and story ideas. When we know who from CNET is working on live shows, we book three different segments. If AP swings by one booth, we walk them to the other. An editor working on a segment on mobility or innovation will receive details from us on all the relevant angles to include.
Find Your Oasis — CES is exhausting, whether you’re walking briskly from booth to booth reporting on products or giving hundreds of people demos in the same 50 square feet. My advice — look for opportunities to kick back. Perhaps in a BMW ZeroG Lounger, which Axios called their “personal favorite” and Mashable proclaimed they “didn’t want the demo to end.” Or maybe meet with great friends and colleagues — former and current — over a well-deserved drink or meal at the end of the night.
Try Out Everything! — One cannot and should not resist the urge to test out every exciting gadget and gizmo on the show floor. Besides, how will you extoll the revolutionary experience without checking for yourself? Also — why the heck wouldn’t you?? This is CES — experience the future!
My team and I had a blast at CES 2020 — you know we’ll be back next year for another big show!
