When the crowds clear out and the booths come down at CES, the real work begins.
While CES is best known for flashy gadgets, big announcements, and viral demos, many companies come to Las Vegas for reasons viewers never see on TV. For them, CES is less about launching finished products and more about figuring out what happens next.
Some companies arrive with prototypes that still need funding. Others are looking for partners to help manufacture, distribute, or refine their technology. And many hope a much larger company sees enough potential to turn a small idea into a big acquisition.
Big Brands Test Ideas Too
Even established companies treat CES as a massive focus group.
LG Electronics used the show to gather feedback on everything from humanoid robots to next-generation RGB televisions.
Robert Lawton/LG Electronics: “There are times we’ve shown features we thought were exciting but didn’t land with our retailer, so we made some adjustments,” said Robert Lawton of LG. “We haven’t really gone into production yet for the products that will ship in March or April. So there’s still time to do a little tweaking.”
Features that don’t resonate can be adjusted, removed, or improved before devices ship later in the year.
Creator-focused brands do the same. Neewer, known for its lighting and camera accessories, launched new smart lighting products at CES and immediately began collecting feedback from creators and customers walking the show floor.
“We take that back to the start of the supply chain and do sit down with our product managers and engineers,” explained Ken Sheppard. “A lot of these suggestions that come from the show actually do get integrated into the products to improve the whole user experience.”
Small Companies, Big Opportunities
For smaller companies, CES can be transformational.
Smartphone accessory maker ohsnap! uses CES to introduce new products to media and retailers, helping a small team compete for attention alongside global brands.
But some of the most compelling stories come from first time exhibitors.
Students from Michigan State University brought Safety Straw to CES, a device designed to detect whether a drink has been tampered with using common date rape drugs. The team spent only a few thousand dollars to attend, hoping to find funding, manufacturing, and suggestions.
Inventor and MSU student Jack Rushlow said it exceeded expectations. “We have made the most insane connections we could even imagine. From investment to manufacturing, wholesale, distribution, retailers, policymakers, lobbyists, everyone we could imagine and hope to meet, we’ve met here today.”
They hope CES helped them make enough contacts to launch the product to bars and restaurants officially, as a way for people to protect themselves from being drugged while not watching their drink closely enough.
For young inventors, CES can compress years of networking into a single week.
Why CES Still Matters
CES doesn’t just predict the future of technology. It shapes it.
The conversations that happen on the show floor often determine which features survive, which products change direction, and which ideas move forward at all. Many of the gadgets consumers will see later this year will look different from those showcased in Las Vegas, influenced by the feedback and connections made at CES.
The show may only last a few days, but its impact plays out for months.
That’s why CES remains one of the most important events in technology, not for what’s finished, but for what’s still becoming.
