Fu Bingbing

As we all know that CES 2022 has concluded with a great success since the beginning of the year， which comes the first physical event this year in the world during this uncommon period， fully showing that CES still remains the world’s most influential innovation event.

Consumer Technology Association（CTA） is a consumer trade organization representing over 2200 different companies across the $500 billion U.S. consumer technology industry， which supports more than 18 million U.S. jobs. Hence， on this edition of our Column， we’re going to take you to the state-of-the-art technological event where you will be able to have much better understanding of the most influential and innovative CES around the globe. Today we are very honored to have Mr. Gary Shapiro， the president and CEO of CTA join us for the exclusive interview to share with us his insights into the physical event amid the pandemic.

Gary Shapiro tells the reporter that they work together with industry leaders and policymakers to promote innovation， and advocate for policies which foster competition， innovation， and basic human rights. They regularly invite policymakers to their events， including CES， so the policymakers can experience technology firsthand and speak directly with tech companies.

Since 1967， they have produced CES， the most influential tech event in the world. CES has launched breakthrough technologies and showcased leading innovators across all industries as they believe that every company is a tech company. CES 2022 hosted a record-breaking number of automotive exhibitors and amplified newer industries like health tech， food tech and NFTs. Their role as an industry convener， especially at CES， has allowed them to push the industry forward and map out how it will continue to advance.

“As we move forward， we will pivot quickly and work with companies to foster industry growth to host engaging， innovation focused events. We will prioritize growth opportunities for our exhibitors and show why tradeshows offer such a difference in our competitive society. Ultimately， CTA/CES showcases how our industry contributes to the betterment of humanity， societal needs， and the overall economy.” says Gary Shapiro.

As far as Gary Shapiro is concerned， COVID-19 required trade shows to react quickly and evolve with best safety practices. They decided to go forward with CES 2022 in January for several reasons. First， they knew many exhibitors from around the world were counting on them to help expose their products or services. Second， it was the right thing to do. Third they believe a face-to-face show is an irreplaceable five-sense experience that can’t be fully simulated online.

“As we need to model how as a society， we could coexist with Covid 19. I am delighted to see shows in most global regions return as people begin meeting again and am proud of the tech industry for leading the way with CES 2022. We know that people want to be together and business leaders recognize the value of face-to-face interactions.” adds Gary Shapiro with excitement.

As the world begins to recover businesses are struggling to find new customers and exposure， and nothing has proven more efficient to achieve these goals than a trade show. Exhibitors build and find new clients because of the platform tradeshows offer.

“I have been fortunate to visit China several times while referred to the relation with China. CTA produced CES Asia there for several years， and I have participated and presented in many Chinese events and conferences. China has several beautiful events.” thumbs up Gary Shapiro.

In addition， Gary Shapiro points out that given the size and importance of the Chinese market， it is common for the global companies to create products and build marketing campaigns specifically aimed at Chinese consumers and many shows， have capitalized on this.

The US and China have globally leading exhibition markets. China as a manufacturing center， is also entrepreneurial and can produce high caliber trade shows showing off the latest innovations.

Strong participation from both overseas visitors and international media are what makes a show like CES successful so removing barriers to travel is more important now than ever. Gary Shapiro’s team has appreciated their Chinese partners as they have been trustworthy and can produce the world-class events.

“CES 2022 showed that CES remains the world’s most influential innovation event. By going forward， we provided a critical platform for thousands of companies –many of them small and medium sized businesses – who rely on CES. We showed leadership in doing so， helping the industry define a ‘new normal’ as we learn to live with the virus.” highlights Gary Shapiro.

From Gary Shapiro’s own perspective that the key decisions around safety protocols have given them confidence to produce a show that exceeded the health and safety requirements for large events， including the decision they made early on that all badge-holders must be vaccinated against COVID-19 to attend CES 2022 in person. Other protocols included masking and free testing thanks to their partner Abbott. They also widened aisles， required distancing in conference rooms and increased hygiene practice.

“While some shows will be either fully in person or digital， I see many shows using a hybrid model for the foreseeable future. By creating an experience where CES 2022 attendees could engage with the show digitally， we were able to share the magic of an in-person show with digital audiences around the world. Attendees who were unable to make the trip or who had never joined us before could share ideas， make connections， and engage with exhibitors. New and emerging exhibitors also had a larger platform with a wider reach to showcase their innovations.” says Gary Shapiro.

Gary Shapiro thinks that to innovate or to die is his take on survival， business or otherwise. Be willing to expand to new industries， clients， and ideas that you had not or would not consider before， flexible and adjusted for the future.

What’s more， it’s also very important to listen to health experts and policymakers and be fully informed on the direction rules are taking. Be as informed as possible when making show and disease mitigation policies. Partner with others， including government， who see the value of face-to-face for business， innovation， and relationships.

“We can’t predict the future， but we can at least prepare for it. To build a capable team， listen to new ideas so as to be prepared to pivot in case of unexpected circumstances.” suggests Gary Shapiro.