2017 CES Shines Bright among Trade Shows

06 Jan 2017 CES Shines Bright among Trade Shows

Every year, I make an annual pilgrimage the first week of January to Las Vegas to attend CES (Consumer Electronics Show).

My wife always asks why, and I share the following reasons:

1. CES is a show that helps our team identify long-term trends that dramatically impact markets — not just in North America — but worldwide. Witness the debuts 10+ years ago of prototype versions of driverless cars or appliances that homeowners control with their phones. Both are now realities. Personal robotics, pictured above, are on the verge of becoming mainstream.
2. CES provides a window into technology advancements from Asia Pacific, Europe, Latin America and the Middle East — and more important — how these advancements may be adopted by different cultures and peoples. CES is one of the world’s largest trade shows and is attended by 165,000+ people and 3,800+ companies from more than 150 countries. For our team, it’s the world’s largest focus-group/depth-interview.
3. CES showcases emerging technologies and protocols that will be integrated into larger technological solutions for B2C and B2B markets. This may be the most interesting and valuable part of the show. For our engineering and new product development team, it’s an opportunity to see the connections on the horizon that will link data with meaningful, actionable marketing opportunities. Witness how IOT (Internet of Things) has transformed manufacturing and commerce, or how software and database developments have transformed marketing automation and sales.

So what are things that merit attention at CES 2017?

1. Robotics — This has long been an interest for Axiom because of our 20-year history coaching high school robotics team and because of our work promoting early STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) educational programs. This year, I’ll be visiting the Lego booth to see its new kit designed for 7 year olds.
2. IOT and Apps — We continue to look closely at this arena from a customer needs perspective. Our goal is to identify meaningful innovation solutions that can be bundled together to meet an underserved need in B2B and B2C markets. That said, this year, I’ll be spending more time than ever at CES South located in the Aria Hotel.
3. 4K TV — This one is purely personal. My 26-year old son (aka Techno-son) has been haranguing me to update our TVs. Why? He believes the cost curve will be down significantly this year, AND he’s interested in state-of-the-art color technologies that will improve resolution and provide a richer, more enhanced viewing experience. Who can argue with that?

For more information, contact Mike Reiber at mreiber@axiomcom.com.