Experience the CES 2025 up close | Recap #1 for Monday, 6 January

   •   #1 | A unique event, a unique approach

   •   #2 | The major trends at CES 2025

   •   #3 | Is it Hollywood or Vegas?

   •   #4 | Bonus of the day: three things you did not know about CES

   •   Opinion column by the Forvis Mazars team

On the road to the 2025 CES in Las Vegas!

The Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas is the annual gathering for tech and innovation enthusiasts. But this is not just any trade show—it is a real show, as its name suggests! What better location than the global capital of gaming and entertainment to host such an iconic event? During the CES, the entire city transforms to welcome exhibitors and visitors. Even airlines ramp up flights to Las Vegas to bring in tech and innovation aficionados.

Amid this frenzy of neon lights and giant screens, it is easy to get swept up—wandering from booth to booth, from hotel to hotel, attending spectacular demos, and marveling at the groundbreaking innovations being unveiled.

This raises an essential question: Why participate in CES? To be dazzled, or to envision the world of tomorrow? To test incredible gadgets and prototypes, or to imagine the society of the future?

We have made our choice. Meeting those shaping our future—whether tech giants or entrepreneurs—helps us understand and analyse the profound transformation of our world and society, as well as question our roles as a company and as individuals.

This is why the Forvis Mazars team is thrilled to participate in this must-attend event:

   •   To provide our ecosystem of clients, partners, and teams with a unique analysis of CES 2025’s trends and announcements.

   •   To reflect on the world that this event enables us to imagine for the years ahead.

In alignment with the Forvis Mazars XFactory, our startup accelerator committed to diversity in entrepreneurship, we are reaffirming our beliefs by addressing CES with one crucial question: How do the technologies and innovations we discover contribute to a more sustainable and equitable world? This is the question we aim to answer throughout the show, supported by a special pop-up newsletter to keep you updated directly in your inbox and a debriefing event in Paris at the end of the month for interactive discussions. Stay tuned—the best is yet to come!

#1 | A unique event, a unique approach

Today is the big day!

The Forvis Mazars teams have gathered in Las Vegas to share a unique experience, both on-site and virtually, with our ecosystem of partners.

On-site, by your side

Amidst the hustle and bustle, find a moment of calm and connection at the Forvis Mazars lounge, located in the heart of the Venetian. Here, you can enjoy exclusive meetings with our experts and attend thematic keynotes.

Looking for a concentrated dose of innovation and technology? Join our Learning Expeditions, a two-hour immersive tour of the show combining startup meetups and a curated debrief of CES 2025 highlights.

Beyond the event itself, we are meeting talented entrepreneurs to recruit the next cohort for our accelerator, the Forvis Mazars XFactory. Exciting encounters await!

Virtually by your side

At the end of each day, we will share key takeaways from CES with one key question in mind: How do the technologies and innovations showcased at CES 2025 contribute to a more sustainable and equitable world. 

Our daily pop-up newsletter will provide insights and analyses, offering a unique perspective on CES 2025 trends as well as thematic deep dives into specific innovations or topics.

And because a picture is worth a thousand words, our team is gearing up to bring you visual (and auditory!) immersion into the CES universe. Expect frequent video capsules that will give you a taste of the on-site atmosphere. Fun fact: some Delta passengers have already nicknamed us “the influencer team” because of the almost professional-grade gear we brought—or perhaps because of the Hollywood-worthy tracking shots we filmed at the airport!

#2 | The major trends at CES 2025

No surprises here—the major trend for 2025 is… AI! And AI in all forms and applications:

   •   For electronic component manufacturers (is that not CES’s original focus, after all?), with NVIDIA’s debut appearance to discuss AI-enhanced chips and graphics cards.

   •   For internet giants impressing (and sometimes scaring) us with their AI integrations, including X, showcasing a tribute to social networks and its creator, as well as the ever-present ChatGPT (OpenAI), Gemini (Google), and Claude (Anthropic).

   •   For intelligent robot makers, with the latest generations unveiled at CES. Notable mention: the French champion Enchanted Tools, our favourite, competing for the second time against numerous international rivals!

   •   For healthcare, with innovations promoting equity in access to care and cutting-edge prevention/treatment technologies.

   •   For sustainability, featuring technologies aimed at reducing emissions by replacing or improving the efficiency of components and materials.

We also have the usual CES staples:

   •   Next-gen screens (flexible, transparent—you name it!)

   •   Futuristic vehicles (often concept cars designed to dazzle) and mobility innovations on land, water, or air. Delta, for instance, plans to steal the show with an exclusive conference and a spectacular, immersive exhibition celebrating its centenary, followed by a keynote closing with a Lenny Kravitz concert (a reminder of CES’s “show” element).

We remain skeptical about connected glasses. After all, CES 2024 revealed Apple Vision Pro and Ray-Ban Meta, but enthusiasm and use cases remain limited. “Wait and see!”

#3 | Is it Hollywood or Vegas?

CES has always brought together tech enthusiasts and Hollywood or music stars in surprising ways. Last year’s event featured Robert Downey Jr., rapper Ludacris, and the Wu-Tang Clan!

Among the confirmed attendees this year are iconic figures from various fields:

   •   Yuki Kusumi, Panasonic

   •   Linda Yaccarino, X Corporation

   •   Martin Lundstedt, Volvo

   •   Tekedra Mawakana, Waymo (formerly Google’s autonomous car division)

   •   Sophia Bush, actress and activist for political, environmental, and feminist causes

   •   Will.I.Am, artist and entrepreneur, now a CES regular for his second appearance

   •   …and Stevie Wonder, simply a legend!

#4 | Bonus of the day: three things you did not know about CES

CES was not born in Las Vegas

The first CES was held in 1967 in New York! It featured 200 exhibitors and attracted 17,500 visitors to showcase portable radios and integrated-circuit TVs. It was held twice a year—summer in Chicago and winter in Las Vegas—until 1988, when it settled into an annual Las Vegas event, growing ever larger since.

CES vs. Vivatech: A draw

Vivatech, with over 13,000 startups and 165,000 visitors this year, rivals CES. However, CES boasts nearly double the number of exhibitors (4,300 this year). The most striking difference? The scale: CES’s exhibition space spans 230,000 m² compared to Vivatech’s 55,000 m².

CES is not just in Las Vegas

CES attempted expansion to Asia with five editions in Shanghai (2015–2019), but the pandemic derailed the 2020 event. Since then, no new expansions have been planned, although Asia remains a major presence at CES, with nearly a quarter of exhibitors. However, geopolitical tensions have led to notable absences from certain tech giants.

Opinion column by the Forvis Mazars team

Everyone who has been to the CES agrees: it is an incredible experience—whether for the show, the city itself, the scale, revolutionary innovations, or the sci-fi-like future it projects. Yet, alongside the fascination comes a sense of vertigo.

Glaring contrasts:

   •   Between next-gen gadgets promising infinite virtual entertainment and the war-torn landscapes flooding our morning news.

   •   Between industrial innovations, especially in mobility, and dire climate change statistics.

   •   Between connected healthcare promising unprecedented longevity and social equity’s financial struggles.

We have a responsibility—to use technology and innovation with the restraint of those who understand their impact and limits. These breakthroughs promise a better future; finding the path is up to us. For that, we must dive in—boldly, intensely, passionately. Count on us. We are here for it!

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