CES Unveiled is a series of events bringing companies of all sizes together to present the latest technological innovations destined to transform lives and shape tomorrow’s world. These annual events feature key players from the technology industry, including start-ups as well as established brands, international media, government officials, senior-level executives and industry influencers. For its third edition, the event series returned to Amsterdam, before making an additional stop in Paris, two of the most prominent hotspots for technology in Europe.
Beyond providing members of the consumer technology community with a glimpse of what will be launched at CES 2020 in Las Vegas, CES Unveiled also presents a unique opportunity for European companies to increase their international presence, and for the tech community to exchange knowledge.
With these events, the Consumer Technology Association (CTA) aims to generate awareness and anticipation for CES 2020, but also gather extensive data to be used towards the expansion of CES. Carefully elaborated by MCI The Netherlands, the registration process would thereby help provide CTA with key data to be used for targeting purposes.
With an event that generates such attention, the main challenge was to ensure that the registration process would run as smoothly as possible. In collaboration with the venues, MCI would also need to employ its logistical expertise to support environments that stimulate engagement among the full spectrum of the tech industry. Part of the difficulties stemmed from planning the same event in two different locations, especially considering the little time between each. Besides assigning a dedicated project team to each city, this entailed for effective management and coordination of partners. Flexibility was also a part of the equation, notably from our project managers by adapting their working hours to U.S.-based client CTA in order to relay information efficiently.
For our second year working on CES Unveiled, we were dazzled by the results achieved in each city. Hosted at the iconic Beurs van Berlage, where the Amsterdam version initially expected around 750 guests, little did we know, attendance turned out to reach 1,569 participants. Plans to use a single exhibition hall and registration area expanded to the full use of the venue’s space making room for 101 exhibitors to showcase their work. Participants from all around Europe entered the event through an intuitive system of self-scan kiosks, creating a natural flow of attendees coming in. Onsite registration in Amsterdam also decreased from 300 to 30 compared to last year’s edition, which goes on to show the successful integration of online registrations.
As for Paris, we were particularly impressed by the media coverage, including 80 press registrations. Located in the reconverted Palais Brongniart, attendance may have been slightly less significant in size in comparison to Amsterdam; this did not retain the 40 exhibitors from expressing their high satisfaction in terms of the exposure they received.
This year, we also focused on a more sustainable approach by limiting physical signage and opting for digital solutions but also re-using some of the signage from Amsterdam to be used in Paris. In this regards, we also made the essential switch from plastic water bottles to branded re-fillable ones.
A fruitful collaboration we long to renew.
With an attendance that nearly doubled in size from last year’s, we expect CES Unveiled to continue to grow exponentially. Given our mutual delight working together, we very much look forward to prolonging our relationship with CTA and hope to continue to take part in the making of these forward-thinking events.
