World’s Largest Technology Tradeshow Posts Twelve Percent Attendance Growth
The 2010 International CES® today announced that 126,641 industry professionals attended the tradeshow’s four-day run in Las Vegas, Nevada, January 7-10, a 12 percent increase in CES attendance from the previous year. An independent audit of the 2010 International CES, performed by Veris Consulting LLC, confirms CES’ status as the world’s largest consumer technology tradeshow and North America’s largest annual tradeshow of any kind.
Veris is certified by the Exhibition and Event Industry Audit Commission (EEIAC) to perform audits. As part of the Veris audit, each CES attendee is counted only once, and show size is calculated using only exhibit space actually sold, not hallways or bartered space.
“The CES was overflowing with innovative new products, and this audit proves that the 2010 International CES successfully attracted top executives, retail buyers, content providers, entertainment executives, venture capitalists, engineers, government officials and media from every corner of the world,” said Gary Shapiro, president and CEO, Consumer Electronics Association (CEA)®, producer of CES. “CES is also a must-attend global event as evidenced by our more than 24,000 international attendees.”
The number of Women over 45 who attended the show was not readily available, much to the disappointment of Still Blonde after all these YEARS!, a blog for women over 45!
2,500 global companies, including a record 330 first time exhibitors, unveiled an estimated 20,000 new technology products across 1.4 million net square feet of exhibit space. More, 24,364 international attendees from 136 countries helped increase global attendance at CES by more than eight percent over last year. The top ten countries represented at CES are Canada, Korea, China, Japan, Mexico, United Kingdom, Taiwan, France, Brazil and Germany.
Senior-level executives and business decision makers continue to conduct business at CES. According to the Veris audit, 45 percent of all attendees were senior level executives, director level and above, on par with last year. Presidents, CEOs and/or business owners made up 20 percent of attendees. More than one third of all attendees are the final decision makers when it comes to new product purchases and partnerships within their organizations. More than 8,400 attendees represented companies with more than $500 million in total annual sales, nearly double the previous year.
The Veris audit also shows that CES attracts leaders from diverse business areas including entertainment, retail, education, engineering and venture capital. More than 12,000 retail buyers, 8,000 manufacturers and 3,000 engineers came to the 2010 CES along with more than 8,500 attendees from the software development/publishing, content development and entertainment industries, a 41 percent increase over last year.
Top government officials also attended the 2010 International CES. Policymakers from the U.S. House of Representatives, the U.S. Senate, the Department of Commerce, Federal Communications Commission (FCC), U.S. Department of Transportation and the U.S. Department of the Treasury were all present.
Every year, influential media and analysts attend the CES to report on the cutting-edge technologies and trends in consumer technology. The 2010 CES drew more than 5,000 press, bloggers and financial and industry analysts.
The CES audit provides absolute verification of exhibition records, including direct on-site observation, examination of registration systems and testing of attendee records. Post-show analysis included direct confirmation sampling, reconciliation of attendance lists, elimination of duplicate names and verification of demographic data with the source of documentation.
Final audit numbers may differ from estimates given on-site due to additional badge pick-ups and badge reader reports. This audit complies with the industry standards for audits adopted by both the Exhibition and Event Industry Audit Commission (EEIAC) and the International Association of Exhibition and Events (IAEE).
The 2011 International CES is scheduled to run January 6-9 in Las Vegas, Nevada.