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After globally launching Apple Watch and Garmin wearable support for the Wondercise fitness service in October 2020, we felt we were finally at the right stage to showcase ourselves at CES 2021. It was just the right time to present ourselves on a global stage.
CES 2021 was our first virtual event.
Live, in-person demonstrations were not possible. Instead, we had to translate everything we had and wanted to express into digital formats to ensure they were just as effective virtually as they would have been on a stand or in person. We had to find ways to digitize and intellectualize our vision and product through videos, visuals and other assets that would be understood virtually.
One of the main, and biggest, challenges in attending this virtual event is the time difference. We are located in Taiwan, so 13 hours ahead of Las Vegas time. To combat this, the entire Wondercise team had to make sure all deadlines and actions were scheduled well ahead of time to account for any hiccups and to make sure we had enough resources to deliver any last-minute requirements. Our messages and questions couldn’t be responded to promptly due to the time difference, which often delayed the process, and the deadlines were a big challenge as the time line given to us by the event organizers was very tight with very short notice. As it was also CES’ first time going virtual, a lot of details were still being ironed out as the event’s kickoff date approached. We had to make sure we were adaptable to the changes and that we adapted to, and accommodated, them as quickly as possible to ensure the entire event set-up process was seamless.
We had to forego the traditional common activities of conversing, socializing and networking with other attendees. In attending CES 2021 virtually, we instead had to rely on the CES Live Chat platform where attendees who wanted to meet with and talk to us would send us a message and we’d respond to answer questions, provide them with further information or just to set up an introduction call. We attracted a lot of attention from the media. These early media mentions and coverage around the upcoming unveiling also attracted the attention of a lot of businesses.
The biggest lesson was how to normalize this type of channel (virtual events). We still need to improve how we express our message through digital files and interactive videos, as well as live-chat functions, but starting early on the PR and promotional side of things is 100% beneficial.
The next time we consider attending any events, we will look into how to secure keynote and speech opportunities. This will not only be a great brand awareness moment but also a company milestone to be able to stand onstage and address the attendees of influential events such as CES.
Although the fast pace of CES 2021 has left us exhausted and with more partner contacts than we can manage quickly, we would definitely make our participation at the annual CES event a top priority from here on out. This level of event not only brings an abundance of exposure and heightens brand awareness, media coverage and collaboration opportunities, it is also an ideal chance to meet other exhibitors (same- or cross-industry), which helps create new sparks and ideas.
