Getting the Most Out of a Trip to CES

The Consumer Electronics Show (CES) is the tech industry’s biggest event of the year, and attending the show either as an exhibitor or regular attendee can be an incredibly helpful way to start off the year as you navigate your business to continued success.

However, in order to get the most out of a trip to CES, it’s important to plan ahead and go in with a strategy so that you can continue to capitalize on your trip for the rest of the year. Below we’ve outlined everything you need to know to achieve post-CES success for your business.

Things to Do Before You Go to CES

The most important thing to do before a trip to CES is to have a solid plan in place for making the most of your time there. It’s important to have everything lined up for during and after the show well in advance of going. More specifically, you’ll need to focus on initiatives that combine strategic public relations with outreach so that you are sure to make a splash while attending the show, especially if you are exhibiting there.

To begin, you’ll want to create a media kit with everything a journalist or blogger would need to know in order to write an informative piece about your company. This comprehensive media kit needs to include basic information about your company that would be helpful for a journalist to have access to – a one-page fact sheet with a boilerplate, some promotional photos and a few different versions of your logo are necessary, at a minimum. These files can be stored in a Dropbox folder or Google Drive folder, and accessed via a customized bit.ly vanity link. Keep in mind that you can also bring a hard copy of your one-pager to CES and share it with the media there! It should include a link to the digital media kit, product features and specs, product images and onsite contact information.

Once you have your press materials ready to go, begin to reach out to national and local media contacts with a personalized pitch, along with your media kit. The goal here is to let them know that you’ll be at CES, in hopes of having them visit your booth and cover your product or company during or after the event. After all, the right press coverage can set you up for greater success throughout the rest of the year!

Taking care of all of this before you leave for CES will ensure that your post-CES strategy is seamless and effective.

What to Do After You Get Home From CES

When you arrive home from CES, exhausted after four long days at the tradeshow, it may feel as though the hard work is over, and in some ways it is. But remember, there are 50 weeks left in the year! Don’t let the momentum you’ve built up at CES die off as soon as you get home; it’s important to include post-CES tactics in your overall CES strategy.

To begin, take the first few days after CES to follow up with contacts you made while there. From journalists to important industry contacts like manufacturers, sourcing companies, licensing companies, marketing companies and more, it’s important to follow up and start a conversation while your initial meeting is still fresh in your minds. Even if you don’t have plans to partner with a company, reaching back out and following up is smart because you don’t know what the rest of the year could hold! When you reach out to journalists, be sure to thank them for their time, especially if they covered your company in their outlet, and ask if you can reach back out to them in the future.

Next, take some time to meet with your product development team to debrief everything you saw and learned at the event. Your goal should be to seek ways to improve any current or forthcoming products using trends and tips you picked up during your time at CES. This is key to staying ahead of your competition and ensuring you have another great year of business.

Finally, spend time reflecting on your time at CES. Consider what parts of your strategy went well, and what you could do better next year. This is something you should be doing year-round; each month take a little bit of time to consider what opportunities have arisen as a direct result of your time at CES, as well as what you can do to set yourself up for success the next time you go.

Want more help making the most of a trip to CES through public relations, marketing and more? Get in touch today – we’d love to chat with you!