If you work in the electronics industry, no doubt you have heard of or visited the annual Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. More casually known as CES, the event is the largest trade show in the US each year, having combined the COMDEX and CES shows into a single event. This show has been happening for more than 40 years, and it is famed for its innovations in technology -- some of the products first introduced to the world here at CES include the VCR, CD player, DVD, HDTV, XBox, Blu-Ray DVD, and much more. If you will be attending the 2009 CES or 2010 CES, check out the guide below for suggestions on everything from finding a hotel for CES, getting around CES on the monorail, hotel shuttles, and taxis, along with maps of the Las Vegas Convention Center, the Strip, and much more.
2009 CES Schedule
Even though the 2008 CES show is barely cold, the schedules for future shows have already been published! For the latest info, you can always visit their website, CESWeb.org. Here is a list of upcoming CES schedules:
2009 CES - Jan. 8-11, 2009 (Thursday-Sunday)
2010 CES - Jan. 7-10, 2010 (Thursday-Sunday)
2011 CES - Jan. 6-9, 2011 (Thursday-Sunday)
2012 CES - Jan. 9-12, 2012 (Monday-Thursday)
As always, the Las Vegas Convention Center (LVCC) will host the displays. Which brings us to the next issue - how to get to the Las Vegas Convention Center? Should you take a cab, hotel shuttle bus, or the monorail? A cab ride from the LVCC back to hotels on the south end of Strip costs about $15 - trouble is, with hundreds of thousands of attendees visting LV, it can be a long line waiting for a cab. During CES, consider alternative means of transportation. Special hotel shuttle buses offer free rides back and forth to the LVCC throughout the show, servicing all the major hotels. Just check at your hotel front desk and ask where the stop is. Each bus services just 3-4 hotels, so you don't have to make a dozen stops before arriving at the LVCC. To minimize your amount of walking, these shuttle buses are your best choice. The last option is the Las Vegas Monorail. Strategically hidden BEHIND the hotels on the east side of the strip, chance are you have never even seen the Monorail on your visits to Vegas. But it is there, and it does go straight to the Convention Center. Cost is $10 for a 24 hour pass, unlimited rides. LVMonorail.com is there official site if you want to check out Monorail maps or other goodies. Stops include MGM Grand, Bally's/Paris, Flamingo/Caesars, Harrahs/Imperial Palace. You'll have to wind your way through the back, hidden depths of these hotels to find the stations. The ride from The Strip to the LVCC takes only a few minutes (you want the Northbound train to get to the LVCC). Unfortunately, the Monorail doesn't go to the airport (hmmm... how could they have forgotten such a key stop??), so you will still need to grab a taxi or airport shuttle to get back and forth from your hotel. You can see a diagram of the convention center layout (in PDF format) from the 2008 show here. The Monorail drops you off on an elevated platform in front of the LVCC (look for the little circle with the Monorail logo right in the middle of the diagram) -- just head downstairs and cross the street.
You may have heard about the size of this gigantic show, but you don't really know what that means until you start walking through these immense showroom halls. The South Hall has 2 stories, and an indoor walkway at the front connect you to the Central and North Hall. It's fairly easy to get disoriented, especially in the North and Central Halls, so keep an eye out for the YOU ARE HERE maps that are located throught the show floor, and keep an eye open for big anchor sites like Nokia, Intel, Sony, etc. to remember which way you came in and what you have seen or not seen. There is a lot of square feet to cover here, but fortunately many companies offer seating areas so taking a brief phone or email break (or just resting your feet and back) is pretty easy.
CES Las Vegas Hotels and Lodging
CES brings a crowd to Las Vegas, and hotel room rates are probably double what they are other times of the year, unless you have a special package rate. Let's start out with a map of Las Vegas showing all the major hotels and landmarks. This map will open in a new window. It shows you where the airport (south end of town) and LVCC (northe end) are located, along with dozens of hotels and motels. The monorail path (not shown) parallels the right side of the Strip (green road in center) and angles to the right behind the Wynn, taking you to the LVCC. Their site also offers interactive maps showing in detail all the Strip hotels and attractions (LVCVA.com).Between the shuttle buses and the monorail, you can comfortably choose pretty much any resort along the Strip that suits your needs - no one hotels offers particular convenience when it comes to CES. If your company isn't booking travel for you, you can always hit Expedia.com for room rates and availability -- book WELL in advance for CES. How much are hotel rooms during CES? We recently paid in excess of $400 per night for lodging at the Bellagio during CES 2008, as an example of pricing.
Do you have a quality site or product that belongs in this guide? We are always happy to evaluate or review new products and websites. Feel free to contact us at the email address below and let us know about you. If you have a demo product you'd like us to look at, please contact us before sending anything. Thank you.
