CES Is Dead: Skilled Creative’s Take on CES 2023

CES is dead, and social media and ecommerce killed it.  More directly, CES as we've known it is gone, and post Covid CES has been reborn in a new form that more closely represents today's business environment.  

For decades CES was a buying/selling show.  Product manufacturers unveiling their new products, and retailers / industry insiders discovering and planning the upcoming retail year.  On the fringes there was always media discussions, cocktail chatter, and partnership planning.  In 2015 the C Space was launched at the ARIA, and it was a fun little section you stopped by if you wanted to check out emerging media.  

The main draw was the LVCC, Venetian, and Eureka Park downstairs at the Venetian.  Startups began in Eureka park, hoping to one day graduate to upstairs Venetian, and possibly one day, get to LVCC. 

Every brand you knew and loved invested heavily in attending, displaying, and drawing as much attention to their offering and product announcements.  This year the LVCC was still packed with top electronics and car brands displaying innovations, but the Venetian, where most of the middle market household brands used to be housed, has changed completely.  The venetian hall was mostly filled with factory direct brands, attempting to develop domestic retail relationships.

eCommerce, DTC, and Social Media has allowed brands to diversify how they build consumer relationships, drive comms with retail partners, and directly distribute product. The investment to have a show booth at CES may not be needed when you can attend, have media and retail meetings in suites, and drive engagement online.

It's nearly impossible to "unveil" something today when a full news cycle is 6 hours long.  The ARIA was buzzing with media innovation discussions, metaverse debates, speculation about generative ai.  Meanwhile the convention halls felt more like displays of the innovations of 2 quarters ago.  

Did anyone else feel a shift at this years' CES?