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It’s that time of the year, when you see the first CES events, parties and panels trickle into your email inbox. For some, this brings memories of previous shenanigans and client dinners; for others, it signals that their 2018 roadmap could probably use a refresh. Or perhaps a restart.
In either case, going to Las Vegas at the start of a new year without a plan—or potentially the wrong plan—can start off your year as slow as McCarran airport’s security line on a Sunday morning.
Following some simple do’s and don’ts will help you create structure in a city of chance and risk, allowing you to use time productively.
The Do’s
Before you leave, revisit last year’s hypotheses and trends. Always bring your notes from last year, or borrow someone’s who did attend. Talk to colleagues and those from other industries and verticals. Learn how similar technology is being applied outside your bubble. Learn from what the market got right and, more importantly, what it got wrong. What played out to plan? What didn’t catch on as quickly as predicted?
In 2017, it was nearly impossible to not physically run into someone wearing a VR headset tethered to a supercomputer. A year later, marketers are finding themselves with kinks they still need to work out as they consider whether and how to adopt the medium as part of their arsenal: price, seamlessness of hardware and hurdles and possibilities around content. Be prepared to hear more about AR at this year’s show and how it’s enabling consumers to engage with content on their own terms.
On the showroom floor, always ask yourself the ‘why’? You’ll hear a lot about how things work and what they do, but not about why they were created. Ignore the flashing LEDs, interactive displays and engaging demos and focus on understanding why your organization would want to adopt this emerging technology. Does it represent a better solution than today’s approach?
At face value last year, the world was seconds away from being overtaken by chatbots and AI-powered assistants. But what the floor actually signaled was an opportunity to build on the back of market leaders. As the year played out, brands did just that by creating AI-powered ‘skills’ for in-home speakers and mobile digital assistants.
Focus on application. AI, machine learning, blockchain. By themselves, they represent exciting breakthroughs, but not standalone solutions. Treat these emerging breakthroughs similar to Intel’s Pentium Processor—by itself, nothing more than a collection of silicon and copper, but when solutions were built to surround and take advantage of its pure processing power, the world hasn’t turned back.
Finally, observe content consumption. How do these trends influence the way your readers, viewers and consumers engage with content on their terms? Whether a bigger screen, a VR headset or AR mobile application, understand the ramifications for your organization. Will these trends change the way your own employees do their jobs?
The Don’ts
Don’t solve for 2018. Please don’t be that person who thinks one week in Vegas will solve a year’s worth of problems. Instead, focus on how your learnings this week will influence the 2019 roadmap and strategy. In the meantime, think about how the things you’ll run across this year might ‘unstick’ a 2018 objective.
For example, how might a partnership with a wearable hardware producer jumpstart a 2018 goal of enabling more non-traditional communication channels? If executed correctly, the learnings could help answer a 2019 decision of where to make a significant financial investment.
Don’t forget about the little guy. Do your homework on the upstart players and think outside the box on how their solution could be applied to your industry. They rarely get their product-market-fit right the first time, but they commonly bring innovative and competitive solutions to market.
Stop looking for the silver bullet and realize that everything is a journey; the answer isn’t waiting for you in a booth. Think about how the combination of a couple emerging trends, products or technologies could collectively bring your brand success. And yes, you might need to do some innovating yourself.
A great example is the handful of projects that are combining AR and blockchain technology to power anything from next generation games to collaboration platforms for the pharmaceutical industry.
And if you are there to drive revenue, remember this is still the Consumer Electronics Show. Your clients aren’t there to see you, but that doesn’t mean they won’t and shouldn’t. Give them a reason. Go the extra mile and align your story to those they will hear on the showroom floor. In a week where everyone will be pitched hundreds of times, make it easy and connect the dots for them.
When you get home, make phone calls and fire off emails—leverage your network. The most important post-CES activity is to find time to share stories. No two people will experience the same demo, pitch or panel and leave with the same ideas. Even better, learn from others facing similar battles across different verticals. Cramming all that collective brain power in Sin City for a week unlocks an opportunity to learn from industries that won’t even cross your mind when you’re back home.
On Sunday night, as you debate between a carry-on or checked bag, revisit these simple do’s and don’ts. CES won’t solve all your problems, regardless of your role in the ecosystem. But if you do your homework and avoid the aforementioned traps, your week in Las Vegas may very well provide a toolkit to drive change and move your business forward.
