CES gets spaced out

The Consumer Electronics Association has announced that next year’s CES show will feature a record amount of exhibit space, with the show floor totalling more than 1.87 million net square feet.

The previous record was 1.862 million net square feet at the 2012 CES. Owned and produced by CEA, the 2013 CES, the world’s largest innovation event, is scheduled from January 8 until January 11 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

‚”With the largest show floor in history, more innovative technologies and services will launch at the 2013 CES than anywhere else in the world,‚” said Gary Shapiro, president and CEO, CEA. ‚”From cloud-based services, advancements in digital health, connected vehicle technologies, the latest apps, flexible devices and beyond, the innovations unveiled at the 2013 CES will create new jobs and further economic growth around the world.‚”

The 2013 CES will feature 3,000 exhibitors spanning the largest show floor in the event’s 45-year history. A record number of eight automakers will exhibit at the 2013 CES, including Audi, Chrysler, Ford, General Motors, Hyundai, Kia, Lexus and Subaru, across more than 100,000 net square feet of exhibit space.

The iLounge Pavilion returns to the 2013 CES with a combined total of 120,000 net square feet of i-related products and technologies.

Showcasing more than 440 exhibitors, iLounge has quadrupled since its launch in 2010 and will be located in the Las Vegas Convention Center (LVCC) North Hall and the LVH.

A must-see destination at the 2013 CES is the expanded Eureka Park, featuring 140 exhibitors including entrepreneurs, start-ups and small companies showcasing the next-generation of technology. New to Eureka Park for 2013 is the Startup America stage, which will bring together startups, investors, large companies and media to highlight the amazing innovations unveiled at the 2013 CES.

Digital health and fitness technology has expanded by 25 percent within the FitnessTech TechZone, with more than 220 companies showcasing devices beyond weight, body mass index (BMI), exercise and calorie tracking. The next-generation of health and fitness devices and apps on display will offer access to patient’s complete medical histories, comprehensive biometric data and remote access to medical professionals. The 2013 CES will feature more than 25,000 net square feet of digital health and fitness exhibits.

Some 20,000 new products will launch at the 2013 CES with major product trends including cloud-based services, gesture and sensing technologies, connected vehicles, the latest smartphone and tablet innovations and Ultra HDTV.

‚”We are always proud to be the world’s largest consumer technology event, but even more important is the significance of the International CES as the launch pad for new innovations and products and our role in bringing the global industry together to meet with the best and brightest movers and shakers from across the technology ecosystem, to network, make deals and exchange ideas,‚” said Shapiro.

The 2013 CES conference program will feature 300 robust sessions and 800 speakers, including keynotes from the leaders of Qualcomm, Panasonic, Samsung and Verizon, as well as a Brand Keynote panel with executives from American Express, AT&T, Coca-Cola, Salesforce.com, Samsung and Unilever. Additionally, the Entertainment Matters program, sponsored by Variety, is back for its third year with exhibits, conference programs and special events for professionals in the entertainment community and will feature actress Felicia Day as the program’s ambassador.

For more information on the 2013 CES, including registration information, conference sessions and a complete list of CES exhibitors, visit CESweb.org.

* Follow Gadget on Twitter on @GadgetZA