Whenever anyone asked me how my CES was going, I said something along the lines of “It seems pretty darn vibrant for a show that’s allegedly in trouble.” Now the official stats are in, and they report record-breaking numbers for both attendees and exhibitors. Chris Ziegler of the Verge:
The fact that neither Microsoft nor Apple are participating in these kinds of events anymore is certainly a sign of something, but 153,000 press, exhibitors, analysts, and staff are suggesting that the death knell could be a bit premature.
Most of the 150,000 or so people who will attend the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas next week are executives and other staffers from companies in the tech industry: hardware makers, service providers, and retailers. Several thousand other attendees are mediafolk like me: reporters, bloggers, and analysts.
Now, I get strange, questionable propositions over the transom–this one arrived via Technologizer’s contact form–all the time. I also receive offers which I choose to decline, such as ones involving companies footing the bill for travel to their media events. But a big PR firm offering what amounted to cash payments for coverage on behalf of a major tech company was a new one.