December 7,
2007
Larger Than Ever
Last year, when the Consumer
Electronics Association moved the CES high-end-audio exhibits from the Alexis Park Hotel,
where they had been for more than a decade, to the Venetian, we in the press lamented the
daily trek to the Strip, with its heavy traffic and daily parking fees. This year,
however, the bother will more than pay off, because the number of exhibits at the Venetian
may have doubled, with permanent demonstration rooms on the 29th, 30th, 34th and 35th
floors. CES 2008 will have more official venues than ever: the Sands Expo and Convention
Center, the Venetian, all three halls of the Las Vegas Convention Center, and the Las
Vegas Hilton. Of course, there will also be exhibits at THE Show, which now occupies the
St. Tropez and the Alexis Park -- two sprawling hotels right next to each other -- and
some companies will also be showing across from the Venetian at the Mirage.
However, all of this means
additional work for those of us legitimately covering CES (as opposed to those who
masquerade as press in order to attend CES) and additional competition among exhibitors
for press coverage. We expect that our daily coverage of CES and THE Show, which will
appear beginning January 7, will also be more extensive than ever. Of course, there will
be an emphasis on areas of interest for SoundStage! Network readers: home theater, budget
hi-fi, and high-end audio. If you already have CES fever, here's a sneak peek at our
Las Vegas 2008 site.
...Marc Mickelson
editor@soundstage.com
