CES is Dead, long live CES

amirm

Banned
Apr 2, 2010
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The only thing that I agree with Scott there is that the high-end show has shrunk some. And will possibly shrunk more. But other than that, it was a delightful show. The rooms were absolutely comfortable temperature wise. HVAC noise was minimal. Rooms sounded just as good as, if not better than other venues with larger rooms in general.

Yes, there were less hardcore audiophiles there but that allowed me to spend more time with the exhibitors talking about their business, industry, friends, etc. I made and refreshed more industry connections here than any other shows.

Importantly, I sat next to fellow Microsoftie and writer for part-time-audiophile, Mohammed Samji, who was spending a day there to cover the show for Scot. So not sure if Scot feels that way, he sent Mohammed there. I will have to ask him at the next audio show. :)

For me CES is wonderful because I get to see both audio and lots of other technologies in one place. I hope we support all of these shows as to enable them to thrive as little good comes out any of them going out of business.
 

jeff1225

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Jan 29, 2012
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The only thing that I agree with Scott there is that the high-end show has shrunk some. And will possibly shrunk more. But other than that, it was a delightful show. The rooms were absolutely comfortable temperature wise. HVAC noise was minimal. Rooms sounded just as good as, if not better than other venues with larger rooms in general.

Yes, there were less hardcore audiophiles there but that allowed me to spend more time with the exhibitors talking about their business, industry, friends, etc. I made and refreshed more industry connections here than any other shows.

Importantly, I sat next to fellow Microsoftie and writer for part-time-audiophile, Mohammed Samji, who was spending a day there to cover the show for Scot. So not sure if Scot feels that way, he sent Mohammed there. I will have to ask him at the next audio show. :)

For me CES is wonderful because I get to see both audio and lots of other technologies in one place. I hope we support all of these shows as to enable them to thrive as little good comes out any of them going out of business.

You got to spend more quality time with the exhibitors because there were no customers. That like saying I'm sad my KMart is closing because there were no lines.
 

amirm

Banned
Apr 2, 2010
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Seattle, WA
You got to spend more quality time with the exhibitors because there were no customers. That like saying I'm sad my KMart is closing because there were no lines.
CES is primarily a dealer/industry show. It is where manufacturers go to sign up new dealers/distributors. It is also an international show. These make it different than audio show where a lot of people go there just to hear equipment and pontificate about the same.

So no, it is not like that. There was plenty of foot traffic but again, not of the type you imagine.
 

jeff1225

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Jan 29, 2012
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CES is primarily a dealer/industry show. It is where manufacturers go to sign up new dealers/distributors. It is also an international show. These make it different than audio show where a lot of people go there just to hear equipment and pontificate about the same.

So no, it is not like that. There was plenty of foot traffic but again, not of the type you imagine.

I've been going for 16 years. It used to take us 2 full days to visit CES at Alexis Park, it took 3 hours this visit all the rooms this year. I think the real decline started with the move to the Venetian and when they clamped down on selling records.

Very sad.
 

metaphacts

Industry Expert
Feb 1, 2011
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Not to be that guy, but CES has been in flux since the first one I attended a very long time ago. From Sink the Bismarck, to move to Vegas (winter), to the "wake by the lake", to the demolition of the Sahara Bi-level that led to the Alexis Park, to the Venetian move, CEA has always been relatively unresponsive to high end's needs.

Customers are the industry, not end users. Once CES lost that differentiation, it was just another show, albeit much more expensive.

Manufacturers need a venue that allows them to do business with their direct customers (dealers and distributors) CES gave that up years ago but Munich maintains the divide. It works beautifully. Other than Munich. the change causes one to reexamine how funds are spent to reach our customers. Do we bring dealers and manufacturers to the factory for training and demonstration or do we spend funds on no longer effective industry shows? How do we support too many regional shows - they're not inexpensive? What's the best mix?

Thoughts?
 

Holli82

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Jun 6, 2010
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I've been attending since 2004 and things are definitely different. I used to have wait to get in some rooms and there was no chance of getting the "sweet spot" chair. This year in many of the rooms to include the suites, I was the only attendee and had the room to myself for several minutes. I enjoyed having the Lamms and Kharmas to myself for 1/2 hour.
I agree with Amir, the rooms sounded fine and in my opinion as good or better than the Alexis Park. The problem is the lack of foot traffic. I know that some of my favorites were MIA (Von Schweikert/VAC) and even the big boys (Wilson, etc.) have a smaller presence now.
 

metaphacts

Industry Expert
Feb 1, 2011
305
205
950
Lower Provo River
I've been attending since 2004 and things are definitely different. I used to have wait to get in some rooms and there was no chance of getting the "sweet spot" chair. This year in many of the rooms to include the suites, I was the only attendee and had the room to myself for several minutes. I enjoyed having the Lamms and Kharmas to myself for 1/2 hour.
I agree with Amir, the rooms sounded fine and in my opinion as good or better than the Alexis Park. The problem is the lack of foot traffic. I know that some of my favorites were MIA (Von Schweikert/VAC) and even the big boys (Wilson, etc.) have a smaller presence now.

If the dealers and distributors don't come, it doesn't matter what the end users think. This is an industry show. It is for doing business/meeting with clients, NOT doing demos for end users. That end users have crashed it is part of the reason it is dying. Perhaps a dedicated consumer day(s) could change that. Who knows?

There are plenty of consumer shows to show our wares to the public. There are precious few where we can do business with dealers and distributors.
 

Bruce B

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Apr 25, 2010
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Look guys.. CES died when they switched dates with the AVN awards!! :D
 

Holli82

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NorthStar

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Feb 8, 2011
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I've been going for 16 years. It used to take us 2 full days to visit CES at Alexis Park, it took 3 hours this visit all the rooms this year. I think the real decline started with the move to the Venetian and when they clamped down on selling records.

Very sad.

It sounds like 3D.
 

metaphacts

Industry Expert
Feb 1, 2011
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Lower Provo River
<thumbs up>

the show is first about industry customers, second about press. It is not nor has it ever been about end users.
 

NorthStar

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Feb 8, 2011
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<thumbs up>

the show is first about industry customers, second about press. It is not nor has it ever been about end users.

So, who goes there? Amir was there. Who else? And Scot Hull (the guy who wrote that article in the first post's link) sent someone else from Microsoft...
 

metaphacts

Industry Expert
Feb 1, 2011
305
205
950
Lower Provo River
I've been going for 16 years. It used to take us 2 full days to visit CES at Alexis Park, it took 3 hours this visit all the rooms this year. I think the real decline started with the move to the Venetian and when they clamped down on selling records.

Very sad.

16 years yields an interesting, short term perspective. Started attending CES in 1976.

Actually it was the Venetian that resuscitated a dead CES. The AP was inefficient, out of the way, and sounded like ass. Had CEA not come up with a replacement for the AP, CES would have died years ago. Again this show is about the industry, not the end user.
 

XV-1

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May 24, 2010
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jeff1225

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Jan 29, 2012
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16 years yields an interesting, short term perspective. Started attending CES in 1976.

Actually it was the Venetian that resuscitated a dead CES. The AP was inefficient, out of the way, and sounded like ass. Had CEA not come up with a replacement for the AP, CES would have died years ago. Again this show is about the industry, not the end user.

An interesting short term perspective, nice try. 16 years is long enough to see the total decline of the show.

"Again this show is about the industry, not the end user." That's similar to what us UCLA fans say when our football team sucks: "well we're a basketball school anyway."
 

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