The Consumer Electronics Show, the 800-pound gorilla of the convention world, has barged into McCormick Place for its annual visit this week. This year`s appearance brings a new wrinkle: For the first time the show is open not only to members of the trade but also to the general public, on Saturday and Sunday.
This incarnation of CES is the latest and largest of a line of Consumer Electronics Shows that date from 1967 and include an annual winter show in Las Vegas.
Both shows give electronics manufacturers, dealers and members of the news media the chance not only to schmooze but also to see the hottest new products in the field. Past editions of CES have seen the world debut of such necessities of the modern age as solid-state TV, the VCR, the camcorder and the compact disc player.
Both shows are sponsored by the Electronic Industry Association`s Consumer Electronics Group (EIA/CEG). The EIA is a 68-year-old trade association based in Washington, D.C., that represents all sectors of the electronics industry, from audio and video to home office and home automation products. Sources at EIA/CEG declined to give an estimate of how much business is conducted at CES, but a few attendees of past shows put the figure at several hundred million dollars.
Ironically, the only group not represented at past shows has been consumers. But to celebrate CES`s 25th anniversary, EIG has decided to let consumers into the show for two of the four days (the first two days, Thursday and Friday, are not open to the public).
That`s good news for all you audiophiles, videophiles, gadget heads, gizmo freaks and computer nerds out there. In the past, the only way average people could sneak a peek was by begging for exhibitor guest passes to get on the floor of the show. Now you just waltz up to the ticket booth, pay your $10 and you`re in.
Crowded house
Opening the convention to the public ”is an unprecedented move for our industry, and one that`s been met with great enthusiasm from exhibitors and consumers alike,” says Gary Shapiro, vice president of EIA/CEG.
”It`s a no-lose proposition for all involved. Our exhibitors will receive valuable feedback from consumers, and the public will be able to preview entire product lines instead of select lines that they usually find at their local retailers due to limited floor space.”
Shapiro expects 55,000 industry people and from 50,000 to 100,000 members of the public will attend CES during the entire four days, though he admits that any prediction is speculative. It`s probably safe to predict that public attendance will be closer to the higher number than the lower. Shapiro reports that several thousand public tickets had already been sold by the end of April, even though there had been little non-industry publicity about the show by then. He expects a big rush for tickets in the last couple of weeks of May. Once inside, you`ll feel as if you`re in paradise. For CES is a cornucopia of electronic delights. The first Chicago show had fewer than 300 exhibitors and about 200,000 square feet of displays; this year`s show expects about 1,100 exhibitors and will use close to 600,000 square feet. If it runs on batteries or has a plug, you`ll see it at CES. From the latest Blaupunkt stereo system to the newest virtual-reality computer games, from HDTV to CD-ROM, CES is the ultimate high-tech toy store.
”No other show open to the general public approaches the size of CES,”
says Shapiro. ”The average consumer, used to things like the Auto Show, will have seen nothing previously to prepare them for the size of CES. The size of this is more like a World`s Fair than a trade show.”
How big is 600,000 square feet?
Walking by every booth would be like walking through every room of every house in a 300-home neighborhood. Or you could think of it this way: If you put each square foot end to end and started walking, you could stop after 110 miles.
The more than 1,000 companies will be showcasing more than 15,000 products. One of most eagerly awaited unveilings is RCA`s wide-aspect TV, which combines CD sound with movie-theater-quality graphics.
Another part of the convention fun is ogling the celebrities who attend to promote products. In recent years celebrities such as the Detroit Pistons` Bill Laimbeer and actor Dudley Moore have appeared at CES. Shapiro was coy about who to expect this year.
The heavyweights
This year`s show has booths featuring almost all the major players in the electronics field, including Apple and IBM; Casio and Roland; NEC and Panasonic; and Kenwood and Marantz. Even some top company executives will be present. Ray Dolby of Dolby Labs and Bob Carver of Carver Corp. will be on hand to lead a special session on multimedia.
One of the few major players in the electronics market that won`t be on the floor of the show is Sony, which in a press release wished CES well but said it preferred a ”more focused, localized approach” than the show offers.
Nonetheless, Sony will have a presence in town this weekend, showing off its new digital mini-disk system to dealers and members of the press at the Four Seasons, and demonstrating it for consumers at the Sony Gallery, 663 N. Michigan Ave.
Sony`s comments are an echo of criticism many have leveled at CES: The show is so big that it lacks focus. To help bring some order to the chaos, CES this year is offering special pavilion areas. Each pavilion will group companies with products in the same field. There are separate pavilions for such hot areas as desktop video, mobile offices, home theater, multimedia and so forth.
Another special attraction at the show is a car audio and security expo, featuring 20 automobiles that have won awards for their sound systems. The expo will also offer free seminars on protecting cars against theft and on choosing the best cellular phone.
Also worth a look is a classroom-of-the-future exhibit that features gee- whiz gadgets in a mock classroom setting. Students from local 2nd and 8th grades will demonstrate various education-oriented products such as compact disc-interactive programs, electronic encyclopedias, and pocket computers.
Another spotlight of the show will be on products for the disabled. An array of products will be featured at the assistive devices division booth in McCormick North, including video games that can be played without the use of hands, keyboards designed for the impaired, Braille printers, electronic wheelchairs and telecommunications devices for the deaf.
All of CES` displays have a cheerful message-that electronics will make our life better. If you buy into that, CES is a dream come true. If, however, you have major misgivings about technology, CES could be your worst nightmare. But CES has other enticements: A family sweepstakes with $10,000 worth of prizes, an open mike/karaoke contest with $2,500 in prizes, giveaways and drawings by individual exhibitors, and laser-light shows at Arie Crown Theatre.
The only drawback of CES is that you won`t be able to leave with any electronic goodies under your arm. All the products at the show are for display only; you won`t be allowed to buy them at McCormick Place.
Still, odds are you won`t go away empty-handed. If you`re like most attendees, you`ll leave carrying bags overflowing with product literature and promotional freebies such as buttons and baseball caps.
