How to Hack CES 2025: Your Ultimate Survival Guide From a 34-Year CES Veteran Attendee.
Hey, tech rockstars! CES 2025 is almost here! It’s the world’s biggest tech show, and it’s happening in Las Vegas from January 7 to January 10, 2025. We curated this CES 2025 survival guide, which shows how to network at CES, planning tips, tech show tips, and making media connections. Add to the list, tag on social using the hashtag: #HackingCES.
If you’re attending, get ready for an exciting, fast-paced experience. Whether you’re a first-timer or a seasoned pro, this guide will help you navigate, network, and thrive at CES.
With these tips on how to hack CES, you’ll stay energized, make valuable connections, and get the most out of this incredible event.
In 2021, we were (literally) the only ones in person at CES (Digital Trends reported on the digital proof).
What Makes CES So Special?
CES (Consumer Electronics Show) is the ultimate event for anyone passionate about technology and innovation. Every year, it attracts 200,000+ attendees and thousands of exhibitors. You’ll find cutting-edge gadgets, groundbreaking ideas, and opportunities to connect with key tech and media players. It isn’t just an event—it’s the tech world’s Super Bowl, Cannes Film Festival, and Times Square NYE rolled into one. This guide will help you conquer the chaos and make CES your ultimate success story.
But CES isn’t just about cool gadgets. It’s a chance to learn, share, and build lasting partnerships. To make the most of CES 2025, you’ll need a solid plan and a few insider tips.
Prepping for CES: Start Strong
🌐 Plan Ahead
The CES app is your best friend. Use it to map out booths, mark must-see sessions, and create your daily schedule. Arriving with a plan saves time and stress.
💋 Pack Smart
Bring comfy shoes, a portable charger, and a reusable water bottle. You’ll walk a lot, so keep your bag light and your gear handy.
🔒 Secure Key Connections Early
Reach out to people you want to meet before CES begins. Use their app portal, LinkedIn, or email to schedule quick meetups during the event. During CES, stop everyone and ask, “What’s the coolest new thing you’ve seen so far?” Last year, we switched it up and asked 450 attendees if they still had analog photo media that hadn’t been digitized. The result was startling: 90% of all photos, slides, home movies, and more have yet to be digitally preserved.
Surviving the CES Floor: Be Ready for Anything
🛏♂️ Rest Zones Are Your Ally
CES can be overwhelming. Find quiet spots like lounges or less-crowded halls to recharge yourself—and your devices. But, even while lounging, please focus on the attendees’ name badges and talk to EVERYONE!🎈 Use Networking Icebreakers.
Have you spotted a booth with snacks or cool swag? Use it as an opportunity to chat. A quick compliment or question can start a great conversation. Make sure to take a picture, use hashtags, and tag the exhibitors–they love it and will often repost your comments. Get personal and explain why you were obsessed with their booths.
🎵 Beat the Noise
Carry noise-canceling earbuds to block out the buzz when you need to focus or take a break.
📚 Take Notes
Keep a small notebook or use your phone to jot down key details, like booth numbers or people’s names. It helps later when you follow up. Use the record button on your smartphone and speak into your notes to remember your thoughts.
Making Media Connections
🏛‟ Spot the Journalists
Media hubs and Q&A sessions are great places to meet tech reporters. They’re always on the lookout for the next big story. Stand outside the media center near any media events; grab them as they walk in or while you are cued up. Talk about them, Google their latest stories, and react to them with interest.
🎨 Perfect Your Pitch
Keep it short and impactful. Share how your idea or product solves a problem in 30 seconds or less. Rehearse to make it smooth. Keep it within 30 seconds!
📞 Prepare Materials
Have a one-sheet ready with your key points, contact details, and a link to your press kit. Offer it to reporters after your pitch and followup!
Mastering the After-Hours Scene
🍻 Meet at CES-Themed Bars
Many bars and restaurants near CES create unique cocktails for the event. Use these as conversation starters. Study everyone’s name badge to remember their name and affiliation and use it in your opening without appearing too obvious. Say their name three times to yourself to commit it to memory.
🕰 Join Off-Site Events
Some of the best networking happens outside the convention center. Look for private parties, exclusive demos, and networking dinners. Can’t get access, not a problem. Hover. Stay outside and greet everyone.
💡 Save Energy for the Big Days
Skip late-night parties if you have important meetings or presentations the following day. Rest is key to staying sharp.
Why CES is About More Than Tech
CES isn’t just a tech show; it’s a global stage for innovation and connection. You’ll meet people from every corner of the industry. These relationships can lead to collaborations, partnerships, or even friendships that last a lifetime.
With the right strategies, you’ll leave CES feeling inspired and accomplished. So wear your comfy shoes, pack your charger, and prepare to make 2025 unforgettable.
Bonus Tips:
Having attended all prior Consumer Electronics Shows since 1990, the ScanMyPhotos executive team has dozens of additional tested recommendations that worked for us. However, those are secret to keep us light years ahead of others attempting to score media coverage. Hey, we need to keep some cards face down.
- Craft Your Killer Story: Picture this: You’ve got 30 seconds to grab attention. Make it count! Your elevator pitch should be as polished as a gemstone, with a storyline so compelling it could rival a blockbuster movie.
- Know Your Targets: Reporters at CES are like undercover agents. So, download their headshots, treat them like baseball cards, and study up! No more hiding behind name badges or sneaky pseudonyms.
- Hunt Like a Pro: This is your safari, and media attention is the big game—eyes forward, not on your phone, as you navigate the CES jungle. Spot a reporter? Initiate a friendly chat, not a sales pitch. Go for the connection, not the hard sell.
- Stealth Mode on Socials: Mum’s the word! Don’t spill the beans on your newfound media contacts. Remember, nearly every tech journalist is at CES, and you don’t want to alert your competitors.
- Background Check Ready: OMG, be prepared! Have a killer “News Peg” ready that screams timely and sizzling appeal. Reporters move at lightning speed, and you want to be the lightning bolt they catch. Think fast and pitch faster!
- Bagging Celebrities: Meeting a celeb at CES is like bagging the biggest prize. Think Shaq and Mark Cuban. Be quick, be sizzling, and, most importantly, be ready to digitize their decades-old pictures. Celebrity photo scanning, anyone?
- Comfort First: Trust me, wear comfy shoes. CES is a marathon, not a sprint. Network from dawn till dusk, be bold, and inquire about everyone’s secret sauce for successful marketing and media pitches.
- Beat-Specific Connections: Connect only with reporters who groove to your beat. There’s no use jiving with someone who doesn’t vibe with your industry or product.
- Booths as Traps: Use other companies’ booth captivity to your advantage. While they’re stuck, you stroll, gain visibility, and never rest. Stand near sponsored events to spot media guests in the wild.
- Smile and Dine: Want 15 minutes of FaceTime? Buy drinks! Surprise influential media contacts with meals at top-notch places. No food court invites—reserve a table at Joël Robuchon and make an impression they won’t forget.
- Have a compelling story. You have less than the standard 30-second ‘elevator pitch’ time to grab attention. Two sentences max to attract interest. Have your story ten times better and create urgency. Business is all about solving problems. Here is a sample of our problem-solving technique: ScanMyPhotos.com solved the biggest problem in photography by pioneering an easy and affordable — with game-changing crazy low prices — to scan pictures. ScanMyPhotos preserved one billion pictures. Where are your family photos? People share these decades of nostalgic memories on all the photo-sharing apps and new photo gadgets introduced at CES. This is how we scored this HuffPost feature at CES.
- Download and memorize every tech reporter’s and blogger’s headshots. Print up like baseball cards and study their backgrounds. Reporters at CES hide their name badges or use others so they aren’t recognized.
- Focus. This is like a safari hunt to locate and capture media attention. Don’t look down at your mobile phone when walking; look forward at everyone you pass for the media in the crowd.
- Position yourself. Stand near media events and news conferences and chat with reporters as they enter and leave. Start with a friendly intro vs. a heavy pitch.
