Everyone always seems so damn happy in Vegas, from the moment you land at the airport to the moment you leave. In a New York kinda way, EVERYONE is from SOMEWHERE ELSE. I waited in my hotel check in line with Japan, Florida, France, Korea, New York, Colorado, Toronto, Los Angeles, Washington, Finland, Spain, Oregon, the list goes on.
The week of long cab lines and vibrantly colored noise and chaos begins. It’s the same week where hotel prices that are normally $100 soar to $400, trying to get from point A to point B becomes nothing less than daunting and software and hardware companies alike vy for attention.
New York Times Brad Stone and Damon Darlin write about the sheer costs of CES, particularly for a small technology company, the kind I typically represent. I like the partnership route, meaning let the big boy pay for the booth, tag along and offer something compelling and sexy. Both sides win.
The article is great as it specifically points to what it costs to play in the game in 2007. A few examples:
$24,500 for 700 square feet of booth space
$300-400 for hotel rooms
$1,000+ for a limo
$5,000-25,000 suites
$5,000-9,000 for mini media events
$1,195 for Internet access on the floor
$300 a day plus agency fees for a spokesmodel
Photo Credit: Top photographs by Jared McMillen for The New York Times; lower left, Rick Wilking/Reuters; lower right, David McNew/Getty Images
You get the idea. Having said that, there are ways to get around the astronomical costs by piggy-backing or joining others, booking rooms and flights well in advance, and eating & drinking at the numerous cocktail schmooze events and parties that are profilic throughout the week.
Renee Blodgett is the founder of We Blog the World. The site combines the magic of an online culture and travel magazine with a global blog network and has contributors from every continent in the world. Having lived in 10 countries and explored nearly 80, she is an avid traveler, and a lover, observer and participant in cultural diversity.
She is also the CEO and founder of Magic Sauce Media, a new media services consultancy focused on viral marketing, social media, branding, events and PR. For over 20 years, she has helped companies from 12 countries get traction in the market. Known for her global and organic approach to product and corporate launches, Renee practices what she pitches and as an active user of social media, she helps clients navigate digital waters from around the world. Renee has been blogging for over 16 years and regularly writes on her personal blog Down the Avenue, Huffington Post, BlogHer, We Blog the World and other sites. She was ranked #12 Social Media Influencer by Forbes Magazine and is listed as a new media influencer and game changer on various sites and books on the new media revolution. In 2013, she was listed as the 6th most influential woman in social media by Forbes Magazine on a Top 20 List.
Her passion for art, storytelling and photography led to the launch of Magic Sauce Photography, which is a visual extension of her writing, the result of which has led to producing six photo books: Galapagos Islands, London, South Africa, Rome, Urbanization and Ecuador.
Renee is also the co-founder of Traveling Geeks, an initiative that brings entrepreneurs, thought leaders, bloggers, creators, curators and influencers to other countries to share and learn from peers, governments, corporations, and the general public in order to educate, share, evaluate, and promote innovative technologies.
