International CES showcases newest, brightest products as it boosts economy

The week was filled with bright white lights, blaring music and celebrities.

No, it wasn’t a rock festival, it was the 2014 International CES. At this show people weren’t lining up to see famous faces, they queued up to see executives from major tech companies tout their latest product offerings.

From Jan. 7 to 10, CES took over the Las Vegas Convention Center, LVH and The Venetian. Press day was Jan. 6 at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center. Spokeswoman Tara Dunion said the event was expected to attract 152,000 attendees and 3,200 exhibitors spread across 1.92 million net square feet, on par with 2013’s numbers. The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority added the trade show was expected to bring a $194.9 million nongaming estimated economic impact to the city.

Among those affected was the Las Vegas Monorail, which carried blue Intel ads on two train exteriors and the Convention Center station all CES week.

“For Intel, we worked with Outdoor Solutions who contracted the station and trains. We then have contractors who handle all the requirements for installation and placement,” said Ingrid Reisman, vice president of corporate communications for the monorail.

During CES week, ridership increased about 185 percent from an average week, but exact numbers aren’t available because the monorail doesn’t report weekly ridership. A three-day ride pass costs $28.

“Ridership is incredibly seasonal, but our average weekly ridership is over 80,000 riders,” Reisman said.

During a week like CES, train frequency is increased so one arrives every four minutes instead of the standard six minutes.

“We have a fantastic partnership with CES and work closely with CES staff to help meet the transportation needs of many visitors who attend CES and spend time in Las Vegas. We receive a lot of positive feedback about the efficiency of our system and our team, making sure our riders get into and out of the convention center as quickly as possible,” Reisman said.

The monorail was packed shoulder to shoulder during rides from the MGM Grand to the Las Vegas Convention Center throughout the trade show.

Once inside CES, attendees were treated to scenes such as creatively displayed Ultra HD TVs by Hisense, skateboarders showing off the latest GoPro action sports camera or BMW’s driverless car technology. Among the larger announcements were Yahoo’s digital magazines and the WWE’s inclusive WWE Network. For $9.95 a month the latter offers fans an all-access pass to wrestling past and present, complete with reality shows and backstage moments accessible through Android, iOS, Kindle Fire, Xbox 360 and Play Station 3 and 4.

Throughout the convention, Wi-Fi service was provided by Cox, which won a seven-year contract with a three-year extension in 2013 to provide telecommunications to the Las Vegas Convention Authority, Las Vegas Convention Center and Cashman Center. Through CES, Cox has supported 17 shows with the convention authority. As part of its contract, Cox upgraded the facilities and provided a 10-gig broadband connection to power the 3.2 million square feet. The company also installed 650 Wi-Fi access points.

Then, of course, there’s the stuff that happens at CES that nobody could predict. Michael Bay’s walk-off comes to mind, as does Martha Stewart walking the floor with a film crew. Singer Ne-Yo checked out the latest Sony products, including the new PlayStation Now, and John Legend played piano for the audience at the Yahoo keynote.

Las Vegas hotels, too, were busy hosting parties and special events.

ShowStoppers was held at Wynn Tuesday night and Wednesday welcomed the WWE to the Encore Theater. Several private meetings between exhibitors and potential customers were held in the suites, including those hosted by Kodak.

Transgaming held in-suite meetings at the Renaissance Hotel, while Netgear chose a Marriott property as its hotel of choice.

As for special events, Samsung threw a party at Bellagio’s Hyde and Vapor Corp. held a soirée at Marquee inside The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas. The latter is a manufacturer of electronic cigarettes.

“We figured that one of the best ways to truly prove to consumers that there is a socially acceptable way to smoke is to throw a party so that they might test the products and get a better feel for what vaporizers are all about,” CEO Kevin Frija said.

During the event, Vapor Corp.’s e-cigs were paired with single malt whiskey. The party attracted about 85 members of the media.

Vapor Corp. was one of the earliest companies to sign on with the electronic cigarette technology, purchasing Smoke Anywhere USA in 2009 and changing its name. During CES, the company showcased its fingerprint identification technology for e-cigs that can help enhance parental controls and theft prevention.

“We aim to continue to be industry leaders, always predicting the next hottest trend in alternative smoking devices,” Frija said.

Special events, though, weren’t confined to hotels. The Last Gadget Standing was inside the Las Vegas Convention Center, hosted by Gary Dell’Abate and Jon Hein, co-hosts of “The Howard Stern Wrap-Up Show.”

The 14th annual event selects the best of the best gadgets shown at CES, then the audience chooses the winner through applause. This year’s winner from online votes was Skulpt Aim, a device that measures body fat and muscle quality. The winner chosen by the live audience was Kwikset’s Kevo Bluetooth door lock, which gives users access with or without a mechanical key.

Not everyone was happy with this year’s winners. The Lenovo group, sitting directly behind a row of reporters, wasn’t exactly quiet about their displeasure with the choices, choosing instead to use some choice words to express their feelings to each other.

Standouts from the event that weren’t selected included Techno Source’s Kurio Phone, a kid-safe smartphone with preloaded content and parental controls. The phone is able to take a picture of itself and send it to another phone via an app, in case your child has misplaced their device. Parents also can receive alerts when a phone is almost out of battery.

“I’ve got two daughters, I want one of those phones,” Hein said.

Executive Producer Robin Raskin urged the audience to look at a product’s entire package before casting their votes, and to consider its plausibility in the world marketplace.

Another interesting product was the Voyce collar, which tracks dogs’ vital signs. The device combines a medical record with a sort of Web MD for dogs, and helps owners figure out what’s wrong with pups when they’re not feeling well.

Hosted by the Consumer Electronics Association, CES is contracted to be in Las Vegas for the foreseeable future. The event catering to the $203 billion consumer electronics industry has been in Las Vegas since 1978.

Contact reporter Laura Carroll at lcarroll@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-4588. Follow @lscvegas on Twitter.