CES 2020 in Vegas: A survival guide
CES can be a daunting place.
The consumer technology showcase, scheduled for Jan. 7-10 in Las Vegas, will span 11 official venues and more than 2.9 million net square feet of exhibit space.
With that kind of sprawl, it will be entirely possible to get in your 10,000 steps by lunch — assuming you have time to break for food.
With that in mind, here are some tips to help you survive the week:
Don’t haul too much to the venues. Attendees are allowed two small bags, each smaller than 12 inches by 17 inches by 6 inches. The bags can’t have rollers, and they’re subject to being searched. Bring too many things along, and you’ll anger the already irritable crowd behind you. If you can’t leave your stuff in your room, coat and bag check is available, for a fee, in the Central Plaza and South Hall 2 Lobby at the Las Vegas Convention Center, the foyer next to Venetian Ballroom D and the bell desk at the Westgate.
[ Find our complete coverage of CES ]
Do wear comfortable shoes. This may sound obvious, but no one cares about your footwear. Rock the ’80s era sneakers-and-business-attire ensemble — think old-school David Letterman or Melanie Griffith in “Working Girl” — if you have to. You won’t get anything done if you’re hobbled by Day Two.
Don’t rely on public Wi-Fi. With some 170,000 attendees using multiple devices and seemingly every showcased product able to connect to the internet — including things that really never should, like beds, toilets and lawn mowers — that’s a lot of strain on any network. There’s so much tech on display, even Amazon had trouble last year connecting its smart refrigerators to the internet.
[ Tips for getting around: Navigating the resort corridor ]
Do bring your own coffee. The lines at Starbucks can be brutal.
Don’t bring your baby. No one needs babies at CES. But if you must have your little one with you, private lactation rooms are available at the LVCC in the North Hall N3 lobby, North Hall near Room N253 and the South Hall Connector near Room S228. There’s also one in the Venetian Ballroom Foyer.
Do visit the Innovation Awards Showcase. The display, near the entrance to Hall D at the Sands Expo Convention Center, is a great place to get your bearings and see this year’s most-acclaimed products.
Don’t wait till the last minute to visit a booth you’ve had your eye on. Last year, entire rows of displays had packed up and left Friday morning, hours before the show’s official close.
[ High-tech drinking and dining spots]
Do make a mental note of any comfy places you encounter, such as the sleep tech area and the massage chairs in the health and wellness area, both at the Sands. You’ll appreciate them later in the week.
Don’t waste time looking for “booth babes.” The anachronistic practice of hiring scantily clad models to represent products as though only straight men had decision-making power at CES has been severely curtailed. The Consumer Technology Association, which operates the convention, has updated its dress code for booth personnel to prohibit “clothing that is sexually revealing or that could be interpreted as undergarments.” Also banned is “body-conforming clothing that hugs genitalia.”
Don’t bother asking if that dress code applies to attendees, too. For everyone’s sake, just assume that it does.
Contact Christopher Lawrence at clawrence@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-4567. Follow @life_onthecouch on Twitter.
