14 DAY TRIAL // Despite the reputation of the International Consumer Electronics Show, held in Las Vegas, Nevada, the number of visitors that have been present at the event was only 110,000, according to early figures. That's a 22 percent drop, when compared to the figures from last year, also representing the lowest turnout in a long time.
The Consumer Electronics Association initially predicted that approximately 130,000 people would show for the event, down from the 141.150 present at CES last year. Gary Shapiro, the CEA chief executive, said on Tuesday that there was hope for a strong showing, based on the high attendance at the opening party. Unfortunately, that was not the case, as the 2009 CES event has seen one of the lowest numbers of visitors in a long period of time.
According to a recent news-article on venturebeat, visitors found it easier to move through the show floor during prime time hours, which was actually a more pleasant experience. However, there were a few crowded days, such as Thursday and Friday.
Some of the figures for this year's Consumer Electronics Show include a total of approximately 3000 exhibitors, 300 of which were new to the event. The entire show was spread across 1.7 million square feet of space in the Las Vegas Convention Center and Sands Expo. With all that, there were approximately 20,000 products on display, some of which have been anticipated for a good while, prior to the show.
The lower number of visitors at CES this year is also a statement of the ongoing financial crisis, which has affected almost every company in the IT industry and other market sectors. Despite that, there were some notable parties, which gathered an impressive crowd, more or less because of the catered food and open bars.
All in all, CES 2009 was a good place to meet the new consumer electronic devices that are going to mark this year.