CES – To Attend or Not to Attend… as a B2B Company
For 53 years the Consumer Electronics Shows (CES) has been a place for new, innovative technology products to debut to the public. When people think of CES, many think of consumer-driven products and companies – no fault to them, it’s right in the name.
As someone who was involved with the planning and attending of CES for clients in a past role, I spent many Octobers, Novembers, Decembers, and Januarys knee-deep in CES strategy development and execution. But now, being at a B2B agency, I’m seeing that there are ways that other companies who are not consumer-facing can really benefit from attending the show as well.
Leverage CES for Networking
CES 2020 anticipated more than 60,000 international attendees. That includes media, buyers, exhibitors, and possibly your future customers. What better way to network than to attend one of the largest tradeshows that occurs every year?
If you don’t plan on exhibiting but want to meet with potential customers and clients, booking a meeting space or conference room could be an ideal approach for you. You can invite media and others to discuss your product, upcoming plans for the year, etc., without spending a fortune on a booth that might not have a huge ROI for your company.
PR Opportunities for B2B Companies
When you walk around the CES floor, you get a glimpse into the future. Flat TVs that can bend to fit a certain space, smart home products that can improve efficiency in your life, even robots that can be for fun or for something more groundbreaking, such as in the healthcare space.
The technology used in many of these products – robots specifically for this reference – can be utilized in B2B markets. Hospitals can utilize these types of robotics seen on the tradeshow floor to monitor patients, connect with other hospitals across the country, and improve healthcare overall.
Adoption of consumer technology in the B2B market can happen often. Further, it’s evolved the type of attendees at CES.
How to Determine if CES is the Right Tradeshow for Your B2B Company
When it comes down to it, CES is a technology-focused show. If your business interacts with people who are empowered by tech, you and your organization should consider the benefits of attending CES.
CES gives you a glimpse of the future in tech and can definitely put you in front of some influential industry veterans.