CES Pre-Show Festivities..................................
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INDUSTRY GEARS UP FOR '99 CES
By Jennifer Kronstain
More than 280 first-time exhibitors will be on hand for the upcoming 1999 International Consumer Electronics Show, set to run January 7-10, 1999, in Las Vegas.
The Consumer Electronics Manufacturers Association made the announcement last month during a press conference in New York's fabled Rainbow Room. Among the newcomers joining the CES fold this year: Cisco Systems Inc. (networking), Alcatel (telecommunications and cable equipment), ADT Security Services (home security), ShareWave Inc. (home networking) and VM Labs (home theater).
The newcomers will be alongside 1,300 other exhibitors, who will answer questions from as many as 3,000 members of the international press and media. They, in turn, will be monitoring the movements of an anticipated 90,000-plus attendees--all mixing and networking their way across 22 football fields of space.
Going Digital
Leading the list of discussion topics will be the DTV transition. An information center placed in the Las Vegas Convention Center lobby will provide press kits, resource information and a list of DTV exhibitors and conference programs. And CEMA President Gary Shapiro will co-moderate a workshop on consumer acceptance and product availability with Joel Brinkley of The New York Times.
A second session is designed to assist retailers with making the transition to digital television and explore new ways to sell and merchandise DTV. It will be moderated by Jim Barry, media spokesman for CEMA.
Multiple Areas of Interest
Besides DTV, workshop categories will include: computing and convergence, retail management, consumer technologies, SOHO, mobile communications, wireless communications, emerging technologies, music and film and general interest programs.
Drivers' Future
The future of driving will also be a hot topic. The latest advances in mobile electronics--Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS), the ITS Data Bus (IDB) and mobile multimedia products--will all be featured.
The ITS Pavilion, situated at the Sands Expo & Convention Center, will display new devices that help drivers avoid accidents, follow a certain route or obtain emergency help. Others will be shown to provide real-time traffic or weather information.
Exhibitors include Alpine, Etak, ITS America, TravRoute Software and Wysco.
New devices based on the IDB standard will be on display, such as plug-and-play units that allow cars produced in the past three to five years to enjoy the latest in car-based technology and communicate with each other. Big-three car manufacturers will be on hand: Chrysler, Ford and General Motors.
The Best of CES
Returning to CES this year is Innovations 99, a showcase of products judged by a panel of trade press, engineers and industrial designers as being "the best of the best" in design, engineering and software excellence. The award program is endorsed by the Industrial Designers Society of America.
Digital Harmony Technologies will sponsor the 1394 Pavilion. More than 20 companies will demonstrate 1394 connectivity among audio and video products. Also, the Emerging Technologies Pavilion will offer small companies the chance to reach several thousand product developers, financiers, investors, venture capitalists, retailers and trade press.
Audio, Habitech Return
Talk on the new audio formats will compliment the discussion of digital technologies. Exhibitors with product supporting DAD audio, Super Audio CD, Advanced Audio Disc and recordable CD are expected to be demonstrating these technologies.
The Habitech Institute is back this year, held in both the Las Vegas Hilton and the North Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center. This year's exhibitors--some including IBM, Lexicon, MTX, Panasonic, Runco, Sharewave and Sharp--will demonstrate entertainment, security, lighting and window covering, telecommunications and whole-house controls. The event is co-sponsored by the Custom Electronics Design and Installation Association (CEDIA), the Satellite Broadcasting and Communications Association (SBCA), CABA (North America's Home and Building Association) and CEMA.
IT exhibitors will also be on hand, including Microsoft, Texas Instruments, Toshiba and Intel.
Information booths will be located in all CES facilities. In addition, attendents will have the following on-site benefits:
-- Shuttle buses: As an alternative to driving and parking, attendees will be encouraged to take advantage of the extensive complimentary shuttle bus services available between CES exhibit locations and all official CES hotels.
-- CES Navigator: An electronic directory that gives immediate access to exhibitor information.
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