Gadgets, wires … it’s time for CES

Smatterings of union workers eat lunch inside Lucky's at the Las Vegas Convention Center. Most are wearing Dickies jeans or cargo pants, boots or sneakers.

Because it's chilly inside with the doors open, the majority also are wearing ball caps or beanies, and long sleeves.

Inside the North and Central halls, hundreds of men and women are building what will become the small city known as the 2013 International Consumer Electronics Show.

These are the people who bring CES to life.

With about a week to go before the doors open to the masses, 900 people are employed, but that number will rise to about 1,700 a day or two before the show, which runs Jan. 8-11.

For more than 30 years, Global Experience Specialists, or GES, has been responsible for the annual CES. Year-round, the company has a staff of about 20 people who do nothing but cater to the consumer electronics show and its exhibitors, of which there are 3,100 companies that will display 20,000 products.

"It's a tremendous responsibility to get everything up," said Anthony Lau, senior vice president of operations for GES.

CES will spread out among Mandalay Bay, The Venetian and the Las Vegas Convention Center. Men and women from the Teamsters Local 631, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 357 and International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees Local 720 are included in the workforce.

Inside the convention center, the North Hall's floor is a mix of tape-covered wiring, plastic-covered carpet and gray concrete.

"We get a blank canvas, really," Lau said.

The Central Hall is a bit further along, with a sea of trusses hanging as far as the eye can see. Banners bearing big-name brands are up, and lights are being attached to trusses. Boxes of Samsung 55-inch televisions sit in line waiting for their contents to be incorporated into a display. And wooden crates, standing 7 feet high, are everywhere, waiting to be opened.

"This is all very sequenced," Lau said of the move-in.

Workers started Dec. 18 and will continue until the floor opens at 10 a.m. on Jan. 8.

Production Resource Group, a global lighting, video, audio and scenic design company, is setting up 70 booths this year. The company has been working on CES for more than 15 years.

"I think CES is a very important show," said Joe Schenk Sr., president of Production Resource Group's Las Vegas office. "I think all the convention and trade show work is very important. It's become the heartbeat of Las Vegas."

When everything is unpacked and wired, CES will have enough electric power on the floor to power more than 1,300 average-size homes. More than 6 miles of trusses will be hanging with 1,000 motors with the capacity to suspend two-and-a-half 747s filled with passengers.

The union and GES employees work shifts of eight hours to 16 hours, depending on what's needed to get the job done. Aside from New Year's Day and Christmas, the men and women mostly work straight through until the convention opens.

"We have about 300 more days," joked Michael Goodwin, a show foreman for Teamsters Local 631.

Goodwin, who's been with the CES move-in since Dec. 18, said that so far it's going great.

"This show is huge," he said. "It gives everybody jobs. Everyone has bills to pay. This is nice, especially after Christmas, to pay some bills."

At every convention center entrance, security guards from Special Operations Associates monitor who goes in and out, allowing in only those with union identifications.

Inside the Central Hall, forklifts, trucks and trailers are parked near the back, ready for their time to shine. Outside, "boneyards" hold electrical gear and equipment that crews may need, but that would take up too much space if housed indoors. Much of the move-in is based on an exhibit's geography and intricacy, and Lau treats it all like a well-choreographed ballet.

Although most of the CES setup is old hat to Lau (he's been doing it for 12 years), at least one thing troubles him.

"What keeps me up at night is the weather," he said. "The weather can play a role in the timing of these things coming together."

Once the show is over, move-out takes about three-and-a-half days.

"It's an amazing feat by some really amazing people who work for us," Lau said.

The 2013 International Consumer Electronics Show is open to industry only. About 156,000 people are expected to attend, roughly the same total as last year.

Contact reporter Laura Carroll at
lcarroll@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-4588.