Today’s Forbes online publication has an article written by Consumer Electronics Association President and CEO Gary Shapiro titled: Want Innovation? Go to a Tradeshow. He calls CES “the world epicenter of innovation.” The press and the thousands of attendees (all 140,000 ++) head to Las Vegas to check out what is “new” and newsworthy.
We all know that CES is a huge show and dominated by big players in the consumer electronic industry. There are approximately 2,700 exhibitors at this year show and not all of them have enormous booths. There are the smaller exhibitors who are hoping to make a splash in a very large pond and compete with the big boys. Gary notes how important CES is to the growth of a small company:
“Bill Gates once told me that Microsoft was made by trade shows like CES. Indeed, every large company started as a small company that needed to attract investors, partners and customers quickly and efficiently. The best place to accomplish all three? At a trade show. Indeed, the entire CES is run with a basic principle: that anyone with an idea should be able to present it inexpensively. Companies and careers have been made at trade shows – and our world has been changed by them as well.”
CES is leading the innovation wave by having a spot for the smaller exhibitor, who might be overlooked. This year, CES added Eureka Park, which will provide approximately 100 start-ups a special exhibition at the show.
The Eureka Park is a specialized TechZone exhibit area that provides a unique exhibiting opportunity to launch a new product, service or idea. In partnership with the National Science Foundation, CNET, Startup America and UK Trade & Investment, Eureka Park will be the premier destination at the show where retailers, venture capitalists, manufacturers and other key attendee groups can find the budding entrepreneurs, fledgling start ups and home grown innovation.
CEIR research supports the fact that future growth of the exhibition industry will come from the smaller exhibitor. In the recently released report, The Changing Environment of Exhibitions, the study found:
- Growth moving forward is apt to come from small to mid-sized companies. Companies with annual revenues of $5 million to $24.9 million have increased the number of exhibitions today (45 percent) or plan to in the next several years (52 percent) compared to roughly 30 percent of companies with $100 million+.
These smaller companies are seizing the power of exhibitions and propelling themselves into the marketplace. To access the 10 fact sheets reporting key findings from this study, click here.
We wish CES the very best and know the show will continue to be the leader in our industry.
