Tips to survive CES

[Don’t miss my other posts covering this years CES]

Everybody loves to hate CES. I believe the sheer size of it, the horrible transportation, the intensity, the density of people, the lack of sunlight, the oxygen casinos add to the air (fake!), the CES plague,… can be a little intimidating.

Still, the people, ideas and things you see there are unique. And I always enjoy it. And I would love for all of you to enjoy it as much as I do, so here are my two cent tips and tricks to be CES proof:

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My tips for a successful CES:

• The CES app is a joke… It needs a real calendar! Don’t rely on it. Ditch it. Use good old paper.
• Wifi is horrible, that is just the way it is. Prepare to work offline all day. Complaining about Wifi won’t make it work…
• You will run out of phone battery quickly — set yourself in battery saving mode in the morning, and you might make it through the day.
• Do not to commute between LVCC and Sands at all — even if you have to miss some interesting session — this will save your day. Plan a day at LVCC, a day at Sands. Exclusively.
• Go to the “good” keynotes real early. IBM, Verizon, LG. I missed 2 of them. Go there 30 minutes ahead. At least.
• Be a monorail smart-ass. Monorail is an awesome way to commute between Aria, Sands and the LVCC. But you can wait in line at the station for a good 30–45 minutes at peak hours. Indeed, monorail capacity is not great so only a fraction of the people in line will get in each monorail. You will have to see 10–12 monorails go by before you can get in.
  So be smart: take the train in the other direction (there will be no line) for one or two stops, then get off the train and get back in another train that goes the right direction (no line!) and you’ll make it faster than anyone!
• The CES plague is definitely not a myth based on the number of coughs I am hearing on the 2nd day. Wash your hands. Often
• Go to parties! There are a lot of them and this is where the action is. A lot of people go to CES and you will meet people you have not seen in a long time, refresh your network, meet new people.
• HAVE FUN — CES is exhausting but it is a great show, very dense and rich. Don’t go there to find inspiration, this is not SXSW. Go there to meet people, play with devices, discuss, get a good idea of where the market is heading to overall.
• Do one thing outside of the show. I managed to go see the Yayoi Kusama exhibit. Awesome. There is always something interesting to see or do in Vegas. Don’t be a snob, do it!