Weekend Read: The Porn Stars and the Geeks - A CES Hangover

Authored by Scott Goldberg on January 12, 2007 - 3:47pm.

Ron Jeremy, Scott Goldberg - AVN/CES 2007

Scheduling geniuses brought together two worlds in Las Vegas this past week that aren’t as far apart as they may seem: tech geeks and pornographers. The former (seemingly 95% male), and the latter (at least 95% female), mingled beautifully at post-show bars and clubs all over Vegas and it wasn’t difficult to tell the two apart. The CES crowd looked overly practiced at ogling gadgets and more than welcomed the opportunity to direct their digital cameras to the spectacular AEE (Adult Entertainment Expo) crowd, which in turn were all too ready to offer photo ops.

CES, like Bonnaroo, the popular summer music festival, requires a lot of stamina and a lot of planning. It’s easy to go too hard too early, trying to see everything in one day. It might have seemed by the press coverage that Apple totally overshadowed the event with the iPhone announcement, but don’t be fooled - CES had plenty of offerings, and one thing in particular that Apple cannot claim - porn stars.

Anyone in attendance will tell you: the more you browsed, the more you realized how little you had seen, in many ways. That, alone, carried with it a heavy mental burden. Just when you thought you had completely covered the South Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center, there loomed an entrance to another room, spreading before you an alarmingly large array of more gadgets, and more companies hawking them. If you’re a fan of tech gadgets, it was like having a golden ticket to Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory. Although there were plenty of disappointing displays and unoriginal concepts, there were enough products like Powercast – a company offering wireless power to gadgets and appliances that otherwise require a charger – to keep you moving and exploring for another fix.

CES 2007 - Crowd Near ESPN Booth

Among the negative aspects of CES were the ubiquitous waiting lines. Whether you were waiting for a shuttle, a hot dog, internet access, or the restroom, there was a line. This goes back to the importance of pacing. Attendees have to deal with a lot of aggravation at CES before getting what they need. If, for instance, you’re enjoying the World Series of Video Games tent at 1:30pm, and Leslie Moonves of CBS is scheduled to hit the stage for a presentation at The Venetian at 4:30, you had better get moving. Three hours at CES goes by fast.

At the blackjack table Wednesday night a couple of VCs were discussing their disgruntlement over the size of the show and wondering why it couldn’t be broken down into several smaller shows. Most specifically, they wondered why car gadgets were featured at the same event as gaming technology. Well, Microsoft Sync, the CNet “Best of CES” winner in the People’s Voice category, put that debate to rest. It proves that the line between tech categories is increasingly blurry. Soon you’ll be able to enjoy your media in virtually any setting, if only DRM and compatibility issues can be sorted out...

CES - Robot Interview 2007

So the event has wrapped, and we in the Digital Media Wire Team that attended are all exhausted. But it wasn’t the porn stars that did it, fortunate or unfortunate as that may be. They were just another bizarre element in a place – Las Vegas – which usually has enough to offer in terms of spectacle in itself. There is just so much going on in terms of technologies, gadgetry and entertainment that even digital media professionals like ourselves get overwhelmed. Even though we still suffer from a clear case of CES hangover, we already look forward to next year’s event and seeing the continued growth and mind-boggling innovation that goes on in this crazy industry.

Scott Goldberg & Joakim Baage

Related Links:
CNET Names 2007 Best of CES Award Winners
Buzz Watch: Breaking a Sweat at CES
CES: Powercast, a Wireless Power Provider, Wins CNet Emerging Tech Award
CES: CBS Head Leslie Moonves Hangs Out with the Cool Guys
CES: Nokia Unveils the Nifty N800 Internet Tablet
CES: Disney’s CEO Bob Iger Puts Digital Efforts “On Steroids”
CES: Motorola and Yahoo Drive the Hype for Mobile Media in 2007
CES and Marketing in the Age of Control

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tags: Internet | Marketing | Tech | CE | Adult | CEA | Events | CES | DMW | Las Vegas | AEE | AVN |

Comments

The CES convention is always

Submitted by Bishop Lamont Jr. (not verified) on September 30, 2009 - 10:33am.

The CES convention is always a huge event, and creates a ton of new business as floods of tourists storm into Vegas. Surrounding businesses such as local Las Vegas bars always see a large influx of business.