In our previous article, CES 2023 recap, we highlighted the key results and major takeaways and discussed how companies across many industries can benefit from exhibiting at CES to boost brand awareness. Building off of that foundation, this article will dive into the perfect match industries primed for success at CES 2024. With the CES 2024 date and location just around the corner on January 8-11, 2024 in Las Vegas, now is the time for companies in sectors like automotive, consumer electronics, IT, AI, XR, space technology, and non-fungible tokens (also called NFTs) will be discussed, as will the all-time smart home sector and the vehicle technology to start planning to exhibit at CES 2024. By following the comprehensive preparation guide outlined here, brands can maximize their impact, bring their innovative products to new audiences, and take their business to the next level.
Table of Content
Part 1. Various Industries Poised to Thrive CES 2024
Part 2. Develop Minimum Viable Products for CES 2024
       3D Modelling to Visualize Design Concept
       Physical Prototyping and Testing
       What to Present at CES 2024 (Concept Phase)
Part 3. Set Goals and Craft Booth Designs
       For Brand Exposure and Awareness
       For Lead Generation and Networking
       For Partnership and Collaboration Building
       For Product Launch and Showcase
Part 4. Craft Powerful Collaterals with The Right 3D Visualization Types
       Craft Collateral with 3D Product Animation
       Craft Collateral with AR/VR or 3D Product Configurator
       Craft Collateral with 3D Product Rendering
Part 5. Marketing for CES 2024 – Start Promoting 3-4 Months Ahead
       Schedule Social Media Post Plan
       Press and Media Outreach
       Paid Advertising Campaigns
       Email Marketing
       3D Digital Out-of-Home Ads
Part 6. 1-2 Month Countdown to CES 2024
       Booth Material Finalized and Shipped
       Travel Arrangements Reconfirmed
       Staff Training
Part 1. Various Industries Poised to Thrive CES 2024
The exposure and buzz generated from exhibited at CES deliver immeasurable value in driving awareness, forging partnerships, connecting with investors, and propelling growth. It provides an unparalleled stage for companies ranging from automotive, computing, artificial intelligence, digital health, and many more to unveil groundbreaking innovations. Therefore, a diverse range of industries that are poised to gain immense value are drawn from showcasing at the event.
Consumer Electronics:
Consumer electronics brands, from smart home gadgets to wearables, gaming, virtual/augmented reality, and everything in between demo products, gauge reactions, collaborate with retail partners and capitalize on a captive audience of over 170,000 attendees to build momentum.
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Automotive:
Auto brands leverage CES to unveil concept cars, electric vehicles, autonomous and connected driving technologies, in-vehicle entertainment advancements, and more to get media and consumer feedback on future mobility innovations before bringing them to market.
The Peugeot Inception
Artificial Intelligence:
CES has become a major launchpad for AI innovation, it widely ranges within robotics, computer vision, smart analytics, autonomous systems, and beyond, from semiconductor companies unveiling new AI chips to platforms leveraging machine learning and natural language processing to enable the next-generation of intelligent applications.
AI Aquarium
Digital Health:
Digital health has also grown enormously at CES. Exhibitors showcase revolutionary developments in telehealth, remote patient monitoring, medical data analytics, fitness wearables and trackers, sleep tech, personalized health/wellness apps, and more. For digital health firms, standing out at CES builds validation, strategic connections with channel partners, and relationships with healthcare providers/payers seeking innovation.
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Seeing so many groundbreaking technologies showcased at CES is thrilling. Cutting-edge products from tech giants and startups gain immense brand exposure by featuring their innovative products there. You watch with envy and excitement, imagining your own product bathing under the lights. Actually, opportunities for partnerships, investments, and media attention abound.
CES preparation begins long before the crowds arrive, starting in 5-9 months for reserving booth space, securing hotels, coordinating travel, and more. However, the keys to CES success happen in 3 critical areas: Product development, booth design, and marketing. In the following parts, we will explore the detailed steps on allocate product development departments, operations departments, and marketing departments together to prepare for CES 2024.
Part 2. Develop Minimum Viable Products for CES 2024
Though 5 months may seem insufficient for finishing full production models, especially for products that require complex development procedures, prioritizing developing breakthrough features that captivate audiences and focusing on innovating and demonstrating core functionalities on the basis of existing technology at CES are highly recommended. Bringing your minimum viable product to CES offers invaluable hands-on feedback to inform post-show optimization.
1. 3D Modelling to Visualize Design Concept
Visualizing the digital concept by leveraging 3D modeling and 3D rendering technology makes it intuitive and efficient to coordinate with decision-makers and helps the CEO, COO, and CTO envision the appearance of the final products and help them make informed decisions at an early stage.
2. Physical Prototyping and Testing
Prototyping is essential for product development due to its ability to validate designs, detect flaws, and gather user feedback early on. By employing prototypes, design iterations become more efficient, reducing costs and saving time during the manufacturing process. Choosing prototyping technologies and materials that closely represent the final product’s properties is essential to ensure accurate testing results.
3. What to Present at CES 2024 (Concept Phase)
Unlike finished products and nearly-finished products that allow customers a hands-on experience of the product features, exhibitors displaying innovation at the concept phase should devote effort to creating persuasive marketing materials, such as 3D visualization to bring stakeholders to the simulated world of the innovation, get investors excited about and willing to fund the idea.
Part 3. Set Goals and Craft Booth Designs
Setting clear and strategic goals helps you make the most of the exhibition, it will not only steer your participation but also ensure a meaningful and measurable impact.
For Brand Exposure and Awareness
To increase brand visibility and recognition within the tech industry and among consumers, focus on eye-catching booth design, engaging product displays, interactive demonstrations, and social media campaigns.
For Lead Generation and Networking
To generate a significant number of qualified leads and establish valuable industry contacts, create interactive experiences that encourage visitor engagement, such as product demos and workshops, and offer incentives for attendees to share their contact information.
For Partnership and Collaboration Building
To identify potential partners, investors, and collaborators for future business opportunities, design a booth layout that includes meeting spaces for private discussions. Prioritize networking events, seminars, and sessions where you can connect with industry professionals and decision-makers.
For Product Launch and Showcase
To successfully launch and showcase new products or innovations to the market, plan a captivating product unveiling with live demonstrations, augmented reality (AR) showcases, and hands-on experiences. Engage media outlets for press coverage and consider offering exclusive press previews.
Part 4. Craft Powerful Collaterals with The Right 3D Visualization Types
The booth’s layout, aesthetics, and messaging should align consistently with the company’s visual brand identity and desired positioning for a cohesive experience. 3D visualization fills the gap between imagination and reality, selling the promise of innovations to come consistently even for products still in development. What’s more, you will always find the optimal 3D visualization types for different demonstrating purposes:
1. Craft Collateral with 3D Product Animation
Even though potential customers can have a hands-on experience of the product intuitively at CES, a 3D product animation can highlight its aesthetics and capabilities perfectly. While those in the early concept phase rely more on 3D product animation to explain principles and convey its design philosophy and the potential to rock the market and bring investors high returns.
2. Craft Collateral with AR/VR or 3D Product Configurator
Augmented reality, virtual reality, and 3D product configurators provide invaluable interactive visualization for exhibitors showcasing products still in the development process. These technologies allow attendees to preview, customize, and explore innovative concepts and designs that are not yet finished in a 3D dynamic, interactive, and immersive manner. For example, an automotive exhibitor could employ a 3D product configurator allowing attendees to customize exterior colors, interior upholstery, wheel designs, and other aesthetic elements on a photorealistic 3D model of a car. Visitors could visually tailor their ideal vehicle design and inspect it from all angles. This brings personalization and a deeper understanding of configuration options.
Likewise, exhibitors in the smart home system industry can provide an interior walkthrough AR/VR experience transporting users into a simulated smart home environment. Attendees can explore each room, control connected devices, adjust lighting and temperature, and prompt digital assistants. This first-hand preview illustrates capabilities and conveniences in an immersive way, before installation in the user’s own home.
3. Craft Collateral with 3D Product Rendering
While stilled 3D product renderings may not grab as much attention as 3D animation and interactivity, they play a crucial role across the entire process of product development, event marketing, and exhibition collaterals. It can be widely used as marketing collaterals for digital or printed materials such as website banners, social media posts, booth signage, brochures, 3D digital billboard, advertising, and more.
For digital collateral, 3D renders showcase product aesthetics and features on the official website, social platforms, and email campaigns. 3D product silos highlight the sleek design, while 3D lifestyle images simulate real-world use scenarios.
For print-out collateral, 3D images enable vivid product visuals on booth banners, booth stands, and out-of-home signage onsite. Renders can also be used for magazines, flyers, and direct mail.
While 3D animations, interactives, and renderings each serve distinct purposes, creating high-quality 3D visualization is crucial for bringing product concepts to life. This is where the value of professional 3D visualization services becomes clear. With the right provider, companies can transform their vision into stunning CGI imagery and engaging visual content.
Related Reading:
The Role of 3D Car Animation in the Automotive Industry
3D Product Images vs. Traditional Photography
One such leading provider is Imagist3ds. With over 13 years of experience, Imagist3ds employs the latest techniques to deliver product renderings, animations, and interactive 3D configurators and offers photorealistic 3D product visualization services for clients worldwide. From prototype modeling to trade show displays, Imagist3ds partners with clients across industries to achieve their visualization goals with their commitment to quality, speed, and service. With Imagist3ds, product companies can cut costs, accelerate go-to-market, and wow customers through immersive 3D visual storytelling.
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Part 5. Marketing for CES 2024 – Start Promoting 3-4 Months Ahead
With over 118,000 attendees and 3,273 exhibitors back in CES 2023, it’s crucial to rise above the noise at CES 2024. Starting promotions 3-4 months out builds momentum and maximizes your presence.
1. Schedule Social Media Post Plan
Develop extensive social campaigns across networks like Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Pinterest, Snapchat, and YouTube 3-4 months before CES to engage followers. Here are several tips you can consider:
- Post short video teasers of innovations to come without revealing too much.
- Share glimpses of behind-the-scenes booth construction and décor sneak peeks.
- Use Instagram takeovers, LinkedIn Live chats, and Facebook Live demos to generate buzz.
- Craft unique branded hashtags related to your products and have influencers promote them.
- Highlight booth number and product launch dates.
2. Press and Media Outreach
In the noisy environment of the massive trade show, earning media coverage helps amplify brand awareness and interest in your latest innovations. This requires careful preparation and outreach to reporters beginning 3-4 months prior to the show. To successfully engage with media and journalists, here are a few steps you can follow:
- Identify relevant journalists from major tech and business outlets months in advance.
- Craft captivating press releases highlighting major CES announcements planned.
- Distribute multimedia kits with executive quotes, product renders, and b-roll videos.
- Actively pitch reporters with story ideas tailored to them – exclusives, insights, data reveals.
- Position executives as industry experts for briefing interviews on CES trends.
- Book pre-scheduled reporter appointments to showcase innovations.
3. Paid Advertising Campaigns
A diverse multimedia approach can maximize visibility for brands exhibiting at the premier tech show to increase awareness, highlight new product launches, and drive booth traffic. A strategic combination will put brands top of mind during critical selling opportunities:
- Search ads on Google Ads and Bing optimized for a product, CES, and location keywords.
- Targeted social media ads on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Pinterest;
- Display and native ads on tech blogs, news sites, and CES publications to expand visibility;
- Retargeting through pixels and custom audiences to nurture promising leads.
4. Email Marketing
Develop a CES-specific email marketing strategy spanning informational updates, promotions, and logistics reminders.
- Send an initial save-the-date email 5 months out.
- Follow with a monthly e-newsletter covering plans, and product teases.
- Send a final email 1-week pre-show with exhibit details, scheduling, and must-see events.
5. 3D Digital Out-of-Home Ads
Arranging 3D digital out-of-home ads, also known as 3D digital billboard advertising, at Las Vegas airports, hotels, taxis and neighborhood buildings with 3D billboard screens will capture the attention of attendees. These high-impact ads placed in key high-traffic spots make a memorable impression.
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Part 6. 1-2 Month Countdown to CES 2024
As CES 2024 gets closer, typically when there are only 1-2 months left, it is time to finalize the preparation:
1. Booth Material Finalized and Shipped
Final booth layout, printed banners/signage/collateral, confirmed inventory and digital displays should be ready to ship a week prior after arranging shipments and customs paperwork.
2. Travel Arrangements Reconfirmed
Staff travel and lodgings should be booked early to get optimal rates and details provided to the on-site team.
3. Staff Training
Other final to-dos include scheduling demos and presentations for the booth stage and conducting team training on product features, audience questions, and company talking points. Their skills will maximize lead generation and brand impressions. Therefore, staff should be well prepared and actively listen, provide demos, and explain the next steps.
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Conclusion
With CES 2024 fast approaching, preparing a CES exhibition with 3D product visualization will prove invaluable to maximize your brand’s presence. Develop minimal viable products using 3D modeling to visualize designs and showcase concepts. Create an immersive experience in your booth with photorealistic 3D renderings and animations that convey innovations. From prototyping to promotions, CGI readies you to captivate at CES 2024. With preparations set and stunning 3D visuals ready to wow, you are equipped to optimize your participation and make 2024 your biggest CES yet!Â
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