For those of us, like myself, who have never before attended the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, it can be a bit overwhelming. The annual technology showcase that is held here every year is simply massive; 150,000 attendees and thousands of vendors in numerous exhibit halls across several facilities. It is ground zero for the electronics industry, where hundreds of sessions and thousands of meetings fill the agendas of those who attend.
Personally, I am a technogeek who is having his first chance at this “Nerdvana”. I am here to see what is on the horizon in wearable tech and medical services. I want to know what is coming down the pike that will help those with disabilities live better, more productive lives. But I am also enjoying this opportunity from a personal perspective. Much to the chagrin of my wife, this is a place that really allows the technology lover to “get their geek on”.
For those of you who regularly attend the National Workers' Compensation Conference here in Las Vegas, allow me to draw some comparisons for you. Do you remember the exhibit hall we used at the Las Vegas Convention Center? They fill it. And the two next to it. And the rest of the center, as well as all the convention facilities at the Westgate Hotel (former Las Vegas Hilton). They also fill the Venetian/Sands Conference facility. Additionally they use Aria, The Cosmopolitan and Vdara, and earlier in the week used the facilities at Mandalay Bay. Essentially take everything you've seen at our little conference and multiply it by 90 or so. That is CES2016.
There is raw creativity here, and it is fascinating to see what people can dream up. Some of it looks pretty ridiculous, some of it is revolutionary in its thinking. Some things have terrific potential to change lives, while others are mild amusements that simply fascinate. Overall, it is a representation of mankind's limitless capacity to imagine and create. It is a pretty impressive sight.
Navigating the very crowded function is challenging. This is a truly international event, and many of the people don't speak English. To compound issues, most of them are too busy walking while staring at their phones (the Chinese attendees have probably been following their stock portfolios). Still, I've learned a lot, and will be writing more on it next week.
One of the things I've learned is that, despite our love of technology, it still has the ability to make us appear like complete goofballs sometimes.
Also, I found my next car – should I stumble across an extra million dollars in my pocket and Mercedes actually starts building them.
I've seen amazing potential in 3D printing, automation and robotics that will tremendously benefit our industry and injured workers in the coming years. I look forward to writing more about that next week. In the interim, however, there is much more to see.
Excuse me while I go satisfy my inner nerd……