50 year anniversay of first CES in New York

According to a press release, since then, CES has grown immensely, with more than 4,000 exhibitors and more than 180,000 attendees at CES 2017 this past January in Las Vegas.

The first CES featured products such as transistor radios, stereos and small-screen black-and-white TVs, including the first solid-state TV. Top companies exhibiting at the first CES included: 3M, Memorex (now MEM-CE), Motorola with Lenovo, Panasonic – Matsushita, Philips, RCA (now a Technicolor brand), SANYO Fisher (now part of Panasonic), Sharp, Sony, Toshiba, Westinghouse and Zenith (now part of LG). Major global brands from a broad array of industry sectors have presented keynotes at CES, including leading executives from BMW, Carnival, Ford, Google, Intel, Microsoft, Netflix and Samsung. 

Today, CES continues as the proving ground for innovators and has expanded to feature industries not traditionally connected to consumer tech such as food, travel, hospitality, health, transportation and much more. The show now touches every major industry as leaders from the entire innovation ecosystem come together to discover and experience the latest trends and network with peers. CES is where titans of tech mix with next-generation disruptors and where esteemed and highly sought after global leaders take the keynote stage to tout disruptive technology and envision new trends and markets.

“Over the past 50 years CES has evolved as the technology industry has changed, reflecting and helping drive the ever-expanding consumer tech landscape. We have succeeded throughout the years due, in large part, to our loyal customers, partners and the deep relationships we have made along the way,” said Gary Shapiro, president and CEO, CTA. “We are honored to celebrate this anniversary and thank and celebrate our incredible industry partners, individuals and companies who have been with us for five decades and have helped make our show the global gathering place for all who thrive on the business of consumer technologies.“