Pascal Lavaur, the founder of Go4ioT (connected objects), does not hide it. The prospect of not having to go to Las Vegas (Nevada) at the start of the year to participate in the Consumer Electronics Show – CES, the annual high mass of new technologies – is not completely displeasing to him. “The last two years, I took two weeks to recover. It is exhausting. “ The time difference to absorb, the hours to keep your stand, the permanent hubbub, kilometers of walking in the aisles, days that stretch out late at night … The event has a cost for organizations … and for finances. Between the plane tickets, the exorbitant price of accommodation, the registration to the show, the manufacture of a stand, participation in CES is expensive.
Failing to make the trip, there remained a question to be resolved: was participating in the digital version of the event worth it? Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the CES will take place this year in virtual, from Monday January 11 to 14, with online conferences, pages dedicated to exhibitors, tools for discussion …
Among the regulars of this annual meeting, big names such as Engie, Faurecia or Valeo have decided to ignore it. Another absent subscriber, the connected home specialist, Netatmo – owned, since 2018, of the Legrand group. “The CES is a rare physical meeting point, a place of conviviality, the opportunity to share a meal. It is incompatible with an online event ”, explains the founder of the company, Fred Potter.
“Our success is inseparable from this show”
Another absent, Withings, the connected health specialist, who participated in the last ten editions of the show. Less because of the online format, than the absence of major announcements to make at the start of the year, explains its general manager, Mathieu Letombe. Until then, the release schedule for the company’s products was based on the opening dates of the show: “It was a very motivating prospect for the teams to release the product on time”, recognizes the leader.
This is one of the reasons that make CES such an important event in the “tech” world, from the smallest start-ups to the largest global groups. “Our success is inseparable from this show”, considers Mr. Potter. To frequent him for many years, as the patron of the license K press relations agency, Jean-François Kitten, also considers this event to be unique: “There is no other in this sector that radiates so much energy and enthusiasm. “ Concretely, he analyzes, these few days in Nevada allow participants to meet as many people as possible in a short time: journalists, customers, suppliers, partners – and even large French groups that it would be more difficult to meet. in Paris. If all goes well, “When you come back to France, you are known, the investment funds call you, people want to be recruited from you”, explains Mr. Kitten.
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