Some integrators were a bit shocked and surprised last week when they tried to register for the 2016 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES). The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) has instituted a $100 registration fee for 2016. Registration opened on July 8 for next year’s event, which takes place January 6-9.
You can’t say you weren’t warned, CE Pro reported the new fee back in May, but it was “buried” in a story about the total audited attendance figures.
As part of its new “enhanced credentialing” program, any new registrants or previous registrants who did not attend the 2014 or 2015 CES will be subject to new enhanced credentialing and tighter qualification criteria. This means that although individuals may have qualified for registration in previous years, they must resubmit credentials to qualify for the 2016 CES.
To qualify, all registrants must provide a brief description of their industry affiliation along with links to their company website with an employee roster, a description of their business engagement at CES or a link to a current publication or article the registrant authored or in which they were quoted or cited as an industry professional. Alternately, registrants may also provide a business card, health insurance card or other proof of employment verification. In addition, in order to expedite affiliated registrants through the verification process, CES will ask registrants to include a business email address.
But it’s still not too late to get a free registration if you have attended the show in the past two years. Those who attended one of the past two shows will be allowed to register without providing additional industry qualifications, given their loyalty to CES. But for those who might have missed the show, CEA implemented a $100 advanced fee for all registrants beginning July 8. If you attended CES in 2014 or 2015, you have a 30-day window of complimentary registration before the $100 fee goes into effect. Registration for qualified media will remain free of charge.
Registration fees will increase to $300 beginning December 21 through the 2016 CES.
“Our new procedures will help us cap the overall growth in CES attendance, promoting a quality business experience for our guests while focusing show and consumer technology industry growth in key areas, including new markets and trends,” says Karen Chupka, CEA senior vice president, International CES and corporate business strategy.
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