In-person trade shows are more relevant than ever, and the experience age demands nothing less.
If you attended this year’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, you’ll have noticed that it’s become much more than an electronics/business trade show. These days, it’s something of a celebrity safari too.
In attendance this year was a host of personalities from Karlie Kloss to Mark Cuban, Martha Stewart, Stevie Wonder, Will.i.am and Lenny Kravitz. As Delta’s brand ambassador, Kravitz injected a new level of dynamism into the airline’s keynote at the iconic Sphere with a live immersive concert experience
Of course, products still took centre stage. There were 4,500 exhibitors including 1,400 startups, many of which displayed groundbreaking innovation. There were over 300 conference sessions with 1,200 speakers. But the 141,000 attendees, 40% of whom were international, also came to be wowed by the visual, tangible in-person experience. From air taxis and self-driving EVs to the next-gen transparent TVs and gaming peripherals, there is no better way to understand how each piece of tech can impact work and play than experiencing it in person..
As Ed Bastion, CEO of Delta Air Lines, said in his keynote, innovation springs from the imagination, with technology following. Events such as CES and others, then, is a place for inspiration as much as information. In the end, people are there for new ideas and simply to have a good time.
Technology is hard to understand unless you can visualize, touch, and experience it. Another thing that’s clear, despite the chatter we heard in the depths of the pandemic, is that physical events such as trade shows are here to stay. For marketers and businesspeople, there’s no substitute for the connections you forge, the business contacts you build and the stories you hear away from the show floor.
Virtual elements might enhance a physical event, but a fully virtual event offers a fraction of the opportunity to build relationships and affinity with potential partners and customers. This helps explain why over 60% of Fortune 500 companies were present this year.
Asian Companies and Technology Innovations Continue to Grab Headlines on the Global Stage
Asia’s presence at CES continues to grow. South Korea was one of the biggest country pavilions, while Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks (HKSTP) housed 51 startup which was its largest delegation ever.
As part of our Asia Media Program, we curated tours at the CES Eureka Park to connect reporters, editors and content creators with promising startups and scaleups with global potential from China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, Korea, Singapore and India. We also highlighted digital health exhibits with transformative solutions across biotechnology, telehealth and wellness advancements that enhance patient care and longevity, which was definitely an interesting and emerging editorial agenda. Topping off our tours was an eye-opening experience at the first Accessibility Media Tour organized by CTA that presented technologies designed for a more inclusive world.
Asian companies had a strong presence on and off the show floor. It’s fair to say Asia is taking its place at the centre of innovation in multiple categories, from healthtech to semiconductors, robotics, sustainable technology and electric vehicles (EVs). Here’s the list of Asian companies and innovations that made their mark at CES 2025 according to CNN.
For brands based in the US and other Western markets, this is a signal to take note: Asia is already a bigger tech player than you might think, and the large presence of Asian exhibitors, visitors and delegations to CES underscore the considerable interest in Asia’s innovation.
The same logic applies anywhere in Asia as at CES. If you want to want to reach people in the region, you need to be there physically — whether you’re a startup looking for investors, a B2B service provider, or an established tech brand pursuing international growth. And you should strongly consider how you can make your pitch experiential and entertaining. The experience age demands nothing less.
To learn more about how we can help tech and B2B brands grow in Hong Kong, mainland China and beyond, get in touch at [email protected].
