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The Best Of CES
It has become this country’s hottest trade show, a spectacle of spectacles showing off the latest and greatest from the world of technology. It has also become the trade show manager’s Super Bowl, where many a marketer gets to flex their experiential chops—and budgets. And it’s growing at a pace that is shocking even the most veteran industry analysts.
It’s official, y’all. The Consumer Electronics Show is en fuego.
CES has become more than a trade show. It’s become the tech world’s greatest playground, a sandbox in which marketers of all shapes and sizes go big or they go home. This year’s numbers? More than 130,000 attendees invaded 2,700 exhibits spread out across every inch of the Las Vegas Convention Center and various strip hotels.
Tech-EM headed out to Sin City to cover the madness. Our mission: Take it apart, strip it down, hit as many buffets as possible and whittle the new King of Tier 1 trade shows down into a list of select game-changing exhibitors. It was a 24-hour-a-day affair for us, with coverage and press tours taking place during the day and video flythroughs and architectural photography shoots staged after midnight. (Check out youtube.com/eventmarketer)
Take a stroll at CES, as we did, and you’ll uncover a few trends in action. For one, design reigns supreme, with marketers continuing to lean on architecture to effectively diffuse traffic and instill a branded ethos on attendees. Two, amid the chaos of a large trade show, smart marketers are getting even smarter about how they pull in traffic. We saw many a clever marketer reeling in the masses using creative methods. Three, the trade show is no longer the beginning and the end of the engagement for a growing number of companies, as evidenced by the high volume of brands we saw driving people to specialized CES homepages and events off the show floor. And lastly, the growing trend to activate completely off the show floor was in full effect, with everyone from Yahoo! to DirecTV taking their experiences outside the convention center.
Presenting the Best of CES, the 28 experiences that made magic. Some of our choices may surprise you, and that’s good. We looked for exhibitors that went beyond sleek design and big footprints to uncover those that fused brand and product and experience into an engaging affair. Big and bold, small and gorgeous, inside and outside—these guys lit up Vegas and created an attraction to rival anything on the strip.
Photos by Kit Noble of noblespaces.com
| • Altec-Lansing | • Belkin | • Blu-Ray | • Bowers & Wilkins | • Clarion |
| • Creative Labs | • Dell Lounge | • DirecTV | • Dolby | • Hitachi |
| • Hewlett-Packard | • Intel | • iRiver | • LG Electronics | • Motorola |
| • Navigon | • NBC Universal | • Nokia | • Olevia | • Philips |
| • Qualcomm | • Samsung | • Sandisk | • Seagate | • Sling Media |
| • Sonoro Audio | • Samsung | • Yahoo! |
Altec-Lansing
| The most eye-catching booths at the show this year were sporting bright, white elements. Altec-Lansing’s exhibit was no exception, offering tons of real estate and expansive white fabric walls mixed with blue accents. The brand took advantage of its sizable real estate both vertically (with signage reaching up almost to the ceiling) and horizontally, with a floor filled with product pods. Despite all of the activity, the space was open and easy to move through. Visitors checked out products, including the FX 5051 surround sound speaker system, in a variety of pods. A lounge area offered super-modern silver couches so tired attendees could catch a breather. The booth was well-staffed with brand ambassadors who were on hand to answer questions but mostly allowed attendees to guide themselves through the experience. |
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| Belkin’s marketers peppered products in the front and back, leaving the middle to serve as an oasis from the rest of the show. The open and airy double-decker was created around a Zen-like theme, with the front designed as a living room and the back as a coffee house-esque relaxation Mecca. It started with a clean white/dark wood reception area giving way to a courtyard serving as the centerpiece of it all—lounge furniture amid faux grass created a park in the middle of CES. Surrounding the courtyard were various other plexi-walled rooms (a study, a bedroom) designed to hammer home the theme that Belkin plays a role in everyday life. The top-deck wrapped both sides, connected by a bridge overhead and leveraging mixing wood, aluminum extrusion with a white pattern embedded in panel walls for a creative look. Listening stations were strategically scattered throughout, allowing folks to check out the products as they sat on faux stone chairs and tables. By the exit was an “Unreal Tournament 3” competition, giving folks the chance to go head-to-head to win gamer pads. |
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| Two days before CES opened, Warner Bros. Entertainment announced its exclusive support of the Blu-Ray format, ditching competitive technology HD-DVD. At the show, other bigwigs from Sony Pictures, Fox and Buena Vista expressed their support, too. It never hurts to have access to wildly popular entertainment properties like the movie, “Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End,” but kudos to Blu-Ray for maximizing its new Hollywood endorsements by creating an exhibit with massive visual impact. On one end of the booth, under a suspended circular awning and strategically located at the bottom of a main stairwell, people copped a squat on bright orange benches in an open-air theater running concert and movie footage on a 100-plus-inch flat-screen TV. Behind the theater, seven kiosks featured partner products ranging from laptops to Blu-Ray disc players. Smack in the middle, a giant (and we mean big, matey) pirate ship. Other movie paraphernalia drew people in from every angle. The exhibit’s visual tie-ins to the movie industry reinforced that Blu-Ray has been given the stamp of approval—a clever credibility booster for buyers at the show. |
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| Visitors stepping into the B&W booth might have thought for a moment that they were actually stepping off of the chaotic CES show floor. The reason: crisp, elegant architecture that created a chic destination. The booth was reminiscent of a museum or art exhibit, right down to the glossy, polished floors and the effect was clean, sleek and all upscale. One nice touch: blue rocks running underneath a glass panel built into the floor. The palette featured plenty of white and gray hues, adding to the elegant tone.Embedded lights shone onto product displays, highlighting merchandise such as the brand’s Zeppelin iPod speaker systems. And, if visitors needed a place to relax, there was ample space. Attendees could chill out in the booth and drink in the surrounding chaos of the show floor on modern yellow chairs positioned throughout the booth. |
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| The car audio manufacturer’s booth stood out from the rest in several ways. The brushed metal on pure white with translucent glass, molded into wispy circular forms built around a two-story center island, created an open and inviting feel. Attendees could enter the booth from all sides, which succeeded in increasing traffic through the booth. Product displays were well organized, with each product category given its own free-standing glass display placed strategically like spokes within the larger wheel that made up the booth. In the center was an attractive café area with modern white tables and chairs that made meeting with company representatives easy and comfortable. Brand ambassadors in iridescent blue and silver dresses greeted attendees and handed out information. Their outfits were a complement to the booth’s color scheme, which, along with metallic tones and white, was peppered with blue accents. From afar, the booth drew the eye and from up close, it invited visitors, presented products in clean modern displays and gave guests a comfortable place to do business. Clarion’s in-house marketing team was responsible for all artwork, video, collateral and creative. |
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| Design took a backseat to good old-fashioned excitement at this large-scale booth that had the crowds packed all the friggin’ day long. The goal? Use fun as a magnet. And the brand’s marketing department delivered with multiple stages, activities and games that served up enough action to keep people locked in the booth—some for hours. A high-energy stage show with a two-man band, dj and dynamic pair of presenters drew and held consistent crowds for an off-the-cuff-style presentation heavy on crowd-engaging Q&A. (A nice departure from the glassy-eyed, super-scripted schpiels we often see.) Friendly brand ambassadors worked the crowd, asking if folks would stay and watch the show, then handed out raffle tickets to the committed. On the back of the footprint, attendees queued up to enter a cozy theater, put on some noise-canceling Auryana X-Fi headphones and experienced a six-minute tutorial film led by two pilots‚ all from the comfort of an airplane seat. While waiting in line, attendees could kill time at one of five headphone stations. A meeting area sported pub-style tables and chairs, continuing the un-corporate theme of it all. |
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| Dell took a little Manhattan into Sin City with the Dell Lounge, a mini New York-style loft smack in the heart of the South Hall. From the outside, modern full-length glass panels, faux brick walls and flat screens running fireplace footage wrapped the perimeter. The exterior of the booth featured merchandise on display, zoned by product family or channel (XPS, Inspiron, Digital Home, Alienware). In a retail-flavored departure from the norm, attendees could also customize and order a new Dell on the spot. The overall tagline brought to life: “Dell: Yours is Here.” Inside the Lounge lived an entirely different environment. Behind the velvet curtains, attendees hung out at the bar, watched live bands and demos on a corner stage, grabbed free non-alcoholic drinks from the bartender, snacked on peanuts and took a load off in the plush seats sprinkled throughout. Low lights and retro pendants gave attendees an intimate jazz club-like experience in the vast expanse that is the trade show floor. Interior elements collectively pushed the capabilities of Dell’s Media Center products. |
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| DirecTV’s experience was all about immersion. The objective: hype the brand and push it into high-def to promote its capability of providing 100 HD channels. To give attendees a feel for the service, the brand translated the high-def message into a theater filled with 100 flat-panel screens, each broadcasting one channel in HD. The screens ranged in size, from 37 to 52 inches. The feel of the 3,000-square-foot space was peaceful, illuminating and totally focused on HD. When attendees entered, they were offered Voss water and chocolates before stepping inside the theater. The uni-directional space was designed in such a way that attendees were given a moment to acclimate as they set foot inside, and then it would begin... they were pulled through an environment filled with monitors set up in such a way that it appeared they could be floating in a dark space. One unique design touch? Black chrome DirecTV satellite dishes doubled as works of art, hanging from the ceiling as attendees walked through the exhibit. |
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| The focus of the booth—and what made attendees stop in their tracks and whip out their cameras—was an 18-foot-tall, 8,200-pound Transformer, making an appearance courtesy of the brand’s relationship with Paramount and “Transformers” movie producer Michael Bay. The CES game plan centered around a “.next” theme, and products fit into categories supporting that theme. Examples: video.next and on the go.next. The brand’s video “.next” projection display wall brought a theater-quality HD experience to the exhibit‚ without creating a fully enclosed structure. The 50-foot-long by 20-foot-tall black, cantilevered structure blocked out just enough ambient light from above to make the branded content and movie clips on the projection screen really pop. Flat-screen monitors flanking the big screen compared Dolby HDR technology with standard LCDs, and illuminated Dolby and video “.next” logos were a nice touch. The brand was also hyping its automotive products, including its Dolby Pro Logic technology, via a vehicle display. |
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| The blinding white, two-story corner display featured seven, 1.5-inch thick flat panel TVs ascending a freestanding white staircase and was a showstopper. For added effect, the TVs rotated left and right to show off their svelte profiles. Only complaint: The display was on the backside of the booth. At the main entry point, two cameras captured shots of a giant floral arrangement in a mini photo studio to illustrate the difference between a standard definition TV and a hi-def TV. We wondered, does anyone at CES need convincing? But the crowds loved it. Behind the eye candy, in one of the exhibit’s tiny dark demo rooms, attendees were drawn to the Duo Board, a flat panel touchscreen mounted like a table, showcasing the Ultra Short Throw Distance QA 100 projector, mounted just a foot or two from the projection surface. Upbeat staffers helped attendees’ fingers do the walking on the touchscreen to find their homes on Google satellite then choose a drawing tool to circle it. Sounds simple, but it was super fun. |
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| Talk about knowing your audience. The tech giant cleverly transformed one corner of its footprint into a hard-core gaming zone to get its line of Voodoo gaming drives in front of serious gamer-types. Next to the family-friendly sea of HP blue product kiosks, passersby could get their hands on one of the raging aisle-facing gaming stations, or grab a seat in one of three hydraulic gaming chairs to race cars or fly planes. In the back corner of the Voodoo zone, an expert gave impressive live tutorials on how to build game levels. HP’s booth footprint was framed by four cantilevered fabric structures that served double duty as high ID signage. Placed at the corners of the booth, the bases of the structures featured color graphics that tied into the brand’s What Do You Have to Say? theme. The brand’s logo was printed on the far end of the structure, providing high visibility from all sides. At the center of the space, a series of printed fabric walls and arches with images of silhouetted home spaces separated three HP product zones. The true success was how well the space attracted attendees, assuring it was always hopping, while the layout and design—especially the cozy home-centric product vignettes—worked to avoid an overly frenetic feel. It was a pleasure to be inside. |
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| Intel’s exhibit was all about clean, bright design that gave attendees the opportunity to absorb the company’s message in a variety of user-friendly ways, whether they had five minutes or two hours. The exhibit was chock-full of interactives that cleverly tied in key message points and still kept it fun. One highlight? An Intel-centric green screen photo op, which put an attendee inside a custom-built, five-sided green enclosure. The still photo was taken from the front, and a camera mounted in the structure’s ceiling filmed the subject as he or she moved through a sequence of flying poses. Technicians then took those images and superimposed them over a fly-through video of Las Vegas using Photoshop, resulting in a fun superhero video. Brand ambassadors and technicians explained how Intel technology helps it all come together. |
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| Oh iRiver, you’ve done it again. The company is known for its highly stylish, ultra simple booth displays and this one was no exception. The pure white exterior with just a simple logo treatment, glowing from the inside out, stood out like a beacon. For weary travelers in the North Hall battling booming car stereo systems at every turn, iRiver’s iPod-esque form appeared on the horizon like Eden. Once inside, products were displayed in a four-sided island format, which allowed visitors to easily navigate. The interior walls were also pure white. On one side a built-in video screen separated into four sections played brand messages on a loop. The opposite wall was used as a giant projector screen, displaying iconic images that reflect the brand identity. The booth was mostly enclosed with just two entry points, which works with this design, giving the inside a cocoon-like feel. Ramps leading up to the entrances made them easy to see and inviting. |
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| This sprawling footprint took attendees on a grand tour of all LG has to offer—and that’s a whole lot of products. Brand ambassadors throughout the footprint were mic’ed up and drew people in with demos of new LG high-def TV and mobile TV technologies. Product display/demo stands for the brand’s mobile phones featured flat screens loaded with product info and headphones visitors used to learn more, and the booth was sprinkled with dozens of hands-on demo stands for computers, media players, phones, navigation systems, TVs—you get the picture. The brand’s new Viewty touchscreen phone was a hot item at CES, and the robotic display table it was featured on was a sight to see. LG products were mounted for display along a 10-foot-by-10-foot table, but the real show was at the center of the display, where a Viewty handheld was sent along a motorized track by a robotic arm. The arm pushed the phone onto a circular track where it passed and interacted with elements including fluid-filled tubes and arcs of LED lights, before passing through a small tunnel that triggered a bubble machine (an unexpected twist). Another robotic arm pushed the Viewty off the track before the show started all over again. |
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| The brand’s Make a Video with Fergie green-screen zone allowed attendees to dance alongside the pop star to the tune of her hits “Fergalicious” or “Glamorous.” Visitors stood in front of a green-screen backdrop and watched their image on a monitor, allowing them to interact and move along with her prerecorded image. Brand ambassadors collected attendees’ email addresses and information about their computer platforms, so the video clips could be sent to them after the show. The interior and exterior walls of this booth were a perfect example of how far high-resolution printing for fabric materials has come. The 20-foot-tall stretch fabric walls featured crystal clear super-scale graphics of models holding Moto phones, product portraits and layered graphic messaging. Inside the booth, the graphics helped delineate different zones within the footprint, such as the personal media experience products, phones and multi-tasking devices. Product displays and demo stations were plentiful throughout the exhibit, and brand ambassadors did a great job explaining and touting the benefits of the new MOTO Z10 multimedia phone. Celebrity appearances, like that of Wyclef Jean, also drove traffic. |
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| The GPS provider didn’t have a huge footprint, but the layout made the booth appear larger than it was. A center tower rose above its neighbors with signage that could be seen from afar. An orange and black color scheme was striking, especially where backlit translucent glass allowed the colored sections to glow in contrast. Streaming out from the center, a presentation area was positioned front and center, allowing passersby to be drawn in and making it so that the speaker could be heard from every corner of the booth. Visitors could browse the many product display kiosks while still enjoying the presentation or they could take a few minutes to sit down and watch the slide show. Colorful, backlit product display towers showed off each model using complementary colors to make the displays pop. For instance, green translucent glass would be backlit and paired with orange. The brand ambassadors were well versed in all product features. Special kudos to these Navigon booth staffers who were enthusiastic and helpful without over selling. They hit the perfect balance. |
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| In its first year as the Official Broadcast Partner of CES, NBCU used every corner of its footprint to engage attendees with its wide variety of entertainment properties. Shows like “Access Hollywood,” “Today” and CNBC’s “Power Lunch” broadcasted live from two different stages. In the aisles, brand ambassadors deftly pulled people in and quickly explained a Bravo text-to-win sweepstakes offer. The killer app: standalone, backlit kiosks called People Totems where attendees could use a touchscreen to download any of 18 NBC programs onto a free, 2GB SanDisk memory stick. (Only bummer: the content was only good for two weeks after the show.) At the American Express Share Your Story mini-stage, entrepreneurs were grabbed from the show floor then featured in live, filmed interviews. Their thoughts and tips were instantly uploaded to an AmEx OPEN—the brand’s small business card—website. Great way to make memories with the CES demographic by putting them in the spotlight. On the other side of the footprint, attendees could hang with a live blogger, have their photo taken and see their interactions posted instantly on a flat screen behind them. |
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| Like a coin, the footprint had two sides: A front side boasting a glowing, color-changing floor-to-ceiling LED video wall serving as a branded halo for an interactive zone filled with cylindrical “demo stations” featuring Nokia phones and headphones. Attendees could sample music and text song requests to a live dj stationed a few feet away. The songs were then blasted throughout the entire booth. (Did we request “Yeah” by Usher? Of course. Did we gyrate like Kevin James did in “Hitch”? No comment.) The backside of the wall featured the majority of the space, with sleek, Euro-styled merchandise sections themed around green (folks could sign up to recycle their phones), music, photos and videos, gaming, Internet and instant messaging and maps/GPS. Best part: Attendees could set their phones to discover or text “CES” to 56418 and get instantly connected to product demos, downloads, photos and other content as they walked around the booth. |
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| The brand created a modern home environment—complete with an expansive lawn—and dropped it in the South Hall. The tone was low-key and relaxed… basically Zen. The footprint focused on touting the brand’s Olevia HDTVs, and the exhibit was based around an elevated, glass-walled home structure for demos and meetings. A covered patio area featured a tall palm tree in a black planter box, which rose up through a hole in the roof to create a cool visual effect. Attendees walked down a few steps into the spacious “yard” (covered with faux-grass carpet) to see plant-filled product displays and meeting areas with wooden lawn tables and chairs. The brand took a laid-back marketing approach, allowing most attendees to come to them instead of assaulting them with over-the-top presentations and giveaways. A bench area at the back of the exhibit gave those with tired heels a place to relax. |
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| Philips brought its tagline—Sense and Simplicity—to life at CES with an exhibit that emphasized clean lines, contrasts and support of the brand’s products. The exhibit was all about choice, allowing attendees to choose how they wanted to experience the brand. The demonstration space was open, giving visitors the luxury of seeing the booth in its entirety, in addition to being able to focus on the product demonstration areas they wanted to see. An accessories showroom, a glass-enclosed space designed as a retail environment, allowed attendees to review Philips’ accessories products without separating them from the rest of the booth.The focal point of the 12,000-square-foot exhibit was the Design Collection Theater. Attendees were directed to the heart of the exhibit along a pathway to a theater in which they could check out the latest home theater family of products. Philips utilized its own lighting technology with an LED curtain that enhanced the experience with video, lights and motion, providing a contrast to the low-key vibe at the rest of the booth. |
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| A common theme across CES this year was the use of soothing elements and natural materials to generate a sense of calm at a show that was anything but. Qualcomm mastered it with one of the best Zen experiences around. White, semicircular bamboo planters lined with smooth black stones and embedded lighting fixtures were situated behind product highlight zones and in-booth massage tables. Fabric awnings over the displays were printed with shadow graphics of tree limbs and mounted on brushed metal frames. An iconic fountain installation was surrounded by white stone-filled planter boxes and featured water peacefully running over the Qualcomm logo. The footprint was anchored by a double-decker in the back and featured a massage zone, gaming zone and health and fitness zone in front. The double-decker mixed frosted plexi with black wood while a cappuccino bar (via Ryan Bros. Coffee, a local outfit from Qual’s hometown of San Diego) provided a little caffeinated add-on for on-site conversations. |
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| Behind the glossy white exterior walls of the Samsung exhibit, the brand continued its clean, modern look and feel. The resulting bright white palette offset with crisp pops of color, an open layout and clear, illuminated Plexiglas display cases made for an uncluttered backdrop to highlight the products on display. Special presentations happened throughout the day, like a break dancing troupe from the movie “Planet B-Boy: Break Dancing Has Evolved.” They performed on a raised demo stage surrounded by three banks of still and video cameras, including the brand’s 150-degree swivel digital camcorder. Attendees could grab cameras and shoot the live action. In the middle of the footprint, a stand-alone white cube created intrigue, drawing attendees behind a screen and into a one-room design studio featuring its high-end TVs boasting colored frames. Brand ambassadors stationed at high-def TV demo areas walked attendees through the latest in Samsung technology. |
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| Like The Three Stooges and the Sci-Fi channel, magic is just one of those things dudes love. So props to SanDisk for luring the mostly-male CES crowd into its lair with a high-energy magic show. Magician Scott Tokar, a SanDisk regular, seamlessly integrated product information with the tricks, which utilized several locked cases—an effective visual reference to data storage. Tokar’s shows were regularly packed. So much so that, “he made us work really hard,” said one exhausted-looking SanDisk demo guy. In the booth’s six demo areas, the brand showed off new products such as Fanfare—a system (still in beta) that allows you to take video from your computer and watch it on your TV. Attendees could collect cards at each demo area to get a free business card case. An appearance by hip-hop guru Supernatural helped tie in the booth’s mobile download station, which looked like a giant phone. (Mobile is SanDisk’s fastest growing business so it’s rolling out more mobile download stations as part of its Slot Education campaign.) Behind the main stage and through beaded curtains was an opium den-style Digital Lounge filled with giant orange pillows, flat screens, and on day-three, a guy sleeping sitting up, and—we swear—drooling. |
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| Mixed targeted product demonstrations with well-segmented experience zones. The four iconic message towers in Seagate’s booth (Live It Up!, Back It Up!, Lock It Up! And Fill It Up!) were a great example of leveraging contrasting materials and colors. The 15-foot-tall, 10-foot-long, two-foot-wide towers were finished in a high-gloss white, with brand messaging printed vertically up the sides. The twisted‚ 20-foot-long rectangular metal box frames slotted through holes in the towers were wrapped with an orange sheer stretch fabric and adorned with graphic designs and pics of people using Seagate products. A raised central “living room” boasted rugs, furniture, the whole nine yards. Large mirrors flanked the rear reception area, giving off a fun house-type vibe for anyone who strolled through. Nice mix of design and branded messaging from start to finish, with some attendees copping a squat to relax and others taking a full tour of the four zones. |
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| A psychedelic late ’60s booth design reflected the exhibit’s theme, The Summer of Sling, couldn’t be missed from the show floor. Bright red signage with flowery white copy towered high over the footprint on curved surfaces. Within the space, product displays repeated the curved look with separate pods that were cleverly integrated into the ’60s theme with more flower power designed into each kiosk. Attendees could learn about and play around with the product in relative privacy. The highlight? The product presentation, performed with the ultimate in kitsch by a spokesman done up in late ’60s garb including bell-bottoms, long hair and a big peace-sign necklace. The audience didn’t seem to mind when the shtick creeped into corny territory, and the message was clear: Hey man, don’t be tied down. Freedom is yours when you watch TV with the Sling. Each day, Mr. Hippie gave away two Slings per hour, which also helped keep the crowd consistently heavy. |
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| In a sea of big booths, out-there presentations and gee-whiz gadgets, Sonoro stood out with a modern design that made the booth seem just a bit larger than it really was. The key: fresh, minamalist furniture and displays. Instead of filling up its small space with rack after rack of product displays, the brand decided to create an open environment that made the product the star. The 600-square-foot space featured dozens of the brand’s audio players on display shelves mounted on a tall central back wall, and a small semicircular seating area in the center allowed visitors to sit and learn more. The effect: minimalist, but not spare. Another unique design choice: curved, stylized wood-finish columns—reminiscent of the products’ designs—bookended the footprint, and served as meeting tables and product display areas. Brand ambassadors enticed passersby into the space with a chance to win a sweet Sonoro Cubo CD player/iPod dock. |
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| Sometimes less is much, much more. Under the parent company name TCL Multimedia, U.S. electronics brand RCA showed off its new collection of 17 high definition flat panel TV’s by mounting them on columns in long neat rows. The Spartan design strategy left a lot of open space in the exhibit for attendees to walk up and touch each TV or just pass by for a complete 360-degree view. RCA touts its line as “a breeze to operate” and the affordable brand for people overwhelmed by all the bells and whistles that come with most electronics. (Wal-Mart is a key retailer.) The underwhelming—but in a good way—look of the booth clearly delivered the no-frills brand message. At a show like CES with seizure-inducing lights, constant noise and an all-out visual assault on the eyes, TCL’s clean, open plan was an oasis for the senses. |
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| The tech giant connected with attendees off the show floor at the growing CES Central Plaza, a stretch of branded, tented immersions located out in front of the main hall. The overall vibe was warm, inviting and forward-thinking, designed as a street fair-themed environment to encourage attendees to walk around, grab a snack and check out the brand’s latest offerings, most notably the beta version of Yahoo! Go 3.0, which introduced new mobile widgets from Yahoo! as well as other web brands. The company made the exhibit user-friendly by dividing the floor into pods. Brand ambassadors at each of the pod areas, themed by specific services such as Yahoo! Mail and Yahoo! Mobile beta, led attendees through each offering on large screens, showing them how the services worked with their mobile devices. At a Yahoo! Go Download station, attendees downloaded widgets or learned how to do it from the web. Recognizing that it couldn’t model its experience after a street fair without food and beverage, Yahoo! integrated a snack bar/concession stand into the environment, to much success. Attendees swung over to the concessions area to get in one of four lines to pick up free treats, including pecans, almonds, raisins and peanuts. |
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