Las Vegas Weekly

January 11, 2010 · 4:15 PM

CES 2010 attracts over 120,000 attendees, unveils 20,000 products

By Robin Leach

Tommy Lee at ThePublicRecord.com booth at CES 2010.

Photo: Erik Kabik/Retna/www.erikkabikphoto.com

As the last of the weary Consumer Electronics Show 2010 convention delegates heads home today and the work crews dismantle and pack up the exhibits, the statistics coming to light from the past four days are mind-blowing.

Here’s the official CES report from Consumer Electronics President Gary Shapiro: More than 2,500 technology companies introduced more than 20,000 products at the 2010 International kicking off the next decade of technology innovation. With a record 330 new exhibitors, major technology trends unveiled on the 2010 CES floor included 3-D TV, mobile DTV, connected TV, green technologies tablets and apps.

“The innovations unveiled at CES brought new optimism and opportunity to our industry and the global economy,” Gary said. “This show exceeded expectations with its innovation, optimism and excitement. What a great way to kick off the new decade.”

Preliminary registration figures indicate that more than 120,000 industry professionals attended the 2010 International CES, up from the 2009 CES, which hosted 113,085 attendees. International attendance also increased over the 2009 CES by more than 1,000. More than 5,000 reporters, analysts and bloggers attended the show, generating significant global media coverage for Las Vegas and CES.

Final figures will be released in the spring, but I heard from all my old pals at AOL and a dozen other TV/ Internet companies that the show was bigger and better than last year and much more in keeping with the excitement of four years ago at the height of the booming economy.

“The buzz is definitely back, and you can sense business is getting ready to boom again,” one AOL honcho told me. “It certainly feels as if the recession is going to end.”

Cutting-edge technology trends wowed crowds throughout the CES floor, including advancements in 3-D technology, mobile DTV, tablets, netbooks, eReaders, apps, connected TVs, embedded Internet technologies and green technology. Major innovations creating a buzz from CES included the Android OS, Lenovo’s IdeaPad U1 Hybrid, Microsoft’s Project Natal and Sprint’s 4G network.

I heard one of those companies alone shelled out a cool $1 million to buy out one Venetian restaurant for breakfast, lunch and dinner every one of the four days!

“The 2010 CES featured a record number of new exhibit areas on the show floor highlighting cutting-edge technology trends that will redefine our industry,” said Karen Chupka, CES senior vice president, events and conferences. “The iLounge Pavilion included 100 companies and featured the latest apps and accessories for iPod, iPhone and Mac products -- the largest display of its kind in CES history -- and areas such as Living in Digital Times unveiled the next generation of innovation for consumers of all demographics.”

I’m reliably told that the iLounge debut was so popular and invaded by thousands of IMac fans that the decision has already been made to expand greatly for next year’s convention. Dynamic keynote addresses from industry leaders included Microsoft’s Steve Ballmer, Ford’s Alan Mulally, Intel’s Paul Otellini, Nokia’s Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo, Qualcomm’s Dr. Paul Jacobs and Hisense’s Zhou Houjian.

More than 250 conference sessions took place over the four days, with industry topics ranging from distracted driving to social media. The new conference program, Up Next at CES, focused on entertainment and featured industry executives and actors Richard Dreyfuss and Jason Bateman, who announced DumbDumb, a sponsor-driven advertising and production company.

The 2010 International CES was a celebrity-filled event with entertainment and sports figures on the show floor, including Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga, Dr. Dre, Drew Carey, P. Diddy, Tommy Lee, Joba Chamberlain, Prince Fielder, Illeana Douglas, Soleil Moon Frye, James Patterson, Bette Midler and CBS sportscaster James Brown. Actress Pauley Perrette of NCIS signed autographs at the Marvell communications technology booth before the show ended.

Other celebrities attending included Brook Shields, who hosted a corporate party at Palms Place; John Legend and Stevie Wonder in concert at the Paris; and Kid Rock, who performed a concert and launched SWAGG buying service with pals David Spade and Mario Lopez.

Additionally, Las Vegas and CES played host to more than 100 government officials from the U.S. and around the world, including U.S. Chief Technology Officer Aneesh Chopra, FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski and FCC Commissioners Meredith Atwell Baker, Mignon Clyburn and Robert McDowell.

Nobody does it better than Las Vegas!

Robin Leach has been a journalist for more than 50 years and has spent the past decade giving readers the inside scoop on Las Vegas, the world’s premier platinum playground.

Follow Robin Leach on Twitter at Twitter.com/Robin_Leach.

Follow Vegas DeLuxe on Twitter at Twitter.com/vegasdeluxe.

Follow VDLX Editor Don Chareunsy on Twitter at Twitter.com/VDLXEditorDon.

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