Experience the CES 2025 up close | Recap #4 for Thursday, 9 January
Experience CES 2025| Recap 9 January
1. “Behind closed doors”: The other CES
2. Startups and corporations at the CES: Parallel worlds
3. And what about diversity?
4. The day’s three unusual facts
CES 2025 – Beyond the buzz, a more nuanced reality
Every year, the CES in Las Vegas establishes itself as the global meeting point for technological innovation, attracting attention with its futuristic announcements, dazzling demonstrations, and massive booths. However, behind the buzz and the spotlight lies a more nuanced, even contrasting reality that deserves closer examination.
On one hand, CES is a public stage where startups, major corporations, and curious visitors mingle at iconic venues such as the Las Vegas Convention Center, the Venetian, and the Aria. On the other hand, it hides a more discreet side: strategic exchanges “behind closed doors,” where major corporations reserve exclusive spaces to impress their partners and clients in a refined and private setting.
This duality extends further to the event’s very organization, which starkly separates startups and major corporations, limiting potential collaborations. Taking a deeper look, critical issues such as diversity and inclusion remain sidelined, far removed from the innovative DNA one might expect from the tech industry.
As CES 2025 comes to a close, it is time to look beyond appearances: to explore what works, critique what could be improved, and celebrate the few initiatives striving to make a difference. Because while CES is a showcase, it should also be a driver of progress—not only for technology but for the human ecosystems shaping it.
Let’s step behind the scenes.
#1 | “Behind closed doors”: The other CES
Officially, the event unfolds across multiple public exhibition halls, spread across three iconic venues: the Las Vegas Convention Center (LVCC), the Venetian, and the Aria. These spaces are home to countless discoveries, from major product announcements to interactive demonstrations captivating media, investors, and curious visitors.
Yet CES is also – and perhaps more importantly – about its exclusive, confidential side. Tech giants like Meta, Adobe, Belkin, Microsoft, and Verizon occupy private suites and spaces in Las Vegas’s most prestigious hotels, creating tailored experiences for their clients, prospects, and partners. These areas, far removed from the bustling public halls, provide an intimate setting conducive to in-depth B2B exchanges.
The reception is meticulously planned: visitors are welcomed in upscale environments with personalized attention and demonstrations designed to address each visitor’s specific needs. For example, in Meta’s private space, attendees experience impressive demonstrations of the connected Meta Ray-Ban glasses, which blend style and technology, and the latest Meta Quest 3 VR headset. Beyond showcasing products, Meta explores a wide range of use cases, including virtual collaboration, immersive entertainment, and augmented education. These demonstrations are crafted to leave a lasting impression, reinforcing the value of their tech solutions.
Through this hybrid model combining grand public spectacle and exclusive private meetings, CES embodies a modern vision of B2B events. Here, innovation interweaves collective wonder with commercial efficiency.
This discreet yet powerful side of CES may well be where the partnerships and advancements that shape the future are truly forged.
#2 | Startups and corporations at the CES: Parallel worlds
Major corporations occupy the Central Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center (LVCC), showcasing monumental booths highlighting their latest innovations. Startups, by contrast, are housed in Eureka Park at the Venetian—a separate area designed specifically for emerging businesses.
This geographic separation, while intended to improve visitor navigation, creates a real barrier between these two worlds, which would benefit greatly from closer interaction. Although certain industries, such as automotive or healthcare, allocate limited space to startups within their dedicated pavilions, such exceptions are rare and insufficient to foster a collaborative ecosystem.
This separation raises a fundamental question: why miss out on synergies that could benefit all parties? Startups bring agility, creativity, and boldness, while major corporations possess resources, networks, and scalability. Together, they could accelerate the development of innovative solutions to address technological and societal challenges more effectively.
For example, an AI-focused startup could benefit from the industrial expertise and data of a large corporation to refine its algorithms and scale its solutions. Conversely, a multinational could find in a startup’s agility a catalyst for reinvention or market expansion. Without such bridges, startups risk lacking the support needed for growth, while corporations might overlook disruptive innovations.
Unlike the CES, Paris’s VivaTech has embraced collaboration between startups and large corporations. Its model encourages intentional integration: major corporations host startups directly within their exhibition spaces. For example, companies like LVMH, Orange, or L’Oréal dedicate sections of their booths to showcase startups they support or collaborate with.
This inclusive approach fosters spontaneous encounters, rich discussions, and often, strategic partnerships. A startup can present its solution to high-level decision-makers, while a major corporation can draw from this ecosystem to energize internal innovation. This philosophy, far more inclusive, drives a genuine collaborative dynamic and accelerates the convergence of agile innovation and industrial strength.
#3 | And what about diversity?
While CES’s penultimate day brought its share of surprises and innovations, one crucial topic remains lacking: diversity within the entrepreneurial ecosystem. Surprisingly, in a country that typically quantifies everything, especially diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), the Consumer Technology Association (CTA), which organizes the event, admitted to having no data on this subject.
This lack of statistics highlights a broader issue. On the ground, CES 2025’s audience and speakers appear predominantly homogenous, raising questions about genuine efforts to include diverse voices in the global technological conversation.
However, some initiatives stand out. The “Women in Tech” Brunch, co-organized by CES, CTA, The Female Quotient, and Black Girl Ventures, provided a valuable platform to spotlight talent from diverse backgrounds. Sponsored by Forvis Mazars, the event gathered entrepreneurs, innovators, and tech leaders in a convivial setting to promote women’s and minorities’ roles in the tech ecosystem.
#4 | The day’s three unusual facts
Sin City – The real story of Las Vegas
Las Vegas, once a simple desert oasis in Nevada, takes its name from the “fertile valleys” discovered by Mexican explorers in the 19th century. In 1905, the arrival of the railroad marked its rise, but it was the legalization of gambling and construction of the Hoover Dam in 1931 that transformed the city. Entrepreneurs in the 1940s-50s built luxurious hotel-casinos, making Las Vegas a global entertainment capital.
Bigger is better
The Sphinx at the Luxor Hotel stands 34 meters tall, surpassing its Egyptian counterpart by 12 meters. This modern giant embodies Las Vegas’s extravagance, blending ancient mysteries with modern luxury.
Number of the day
12 million! That is the number of bulbs lighting up Fremont Street in Downtown Las Vegas. This iconic area, steeped in history, remains a must-see for visitors.
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