Learn About CEA

Mario Armstrong: Hey, it’s Mario Armstrong with SBTV.com your tech guru for SBTV.com and we’re joined now with Tara Dunion. She’s a Senior Director of Communications. Tara Dunion: That’s right. Mario Armstrong: For the Consumer Electronics Association and we are at the International CES Show 2009. Tara Dunion: It’s been great to be here. Mario Armstrong: Fantastic. Tara Dunion: Yeah, it’s just the buzz out there, the products, the companies, the attendees that are here. Mario Armstrong: Yeah. Tara Dunion: It’s been a fantastic show. Mario Armstrong: Yeah, it really has and I mean I’ve seen so many exhibits. My legs are exhausted. Tara Dunion: Yes, aren’t you? Mario Armstrong: There’s a lot to see here, so let’s talk a little bit about why businesses should present their works. I mean our audiences are small business audience. Tara Dunion: Sure. Mario Armstrong: And I’ve met several entrepreneurs that are really looking at this as there launching pad of their product. Tara Dunion: Absolutely, we’ve got 2700 exhibitors here at CES and it’s every one. We literally have the guy or the woman with their product and a table top. We are all the way up to a Microsoft that actually Steve Gates had told our President and CEO Gary Shapiro that Microsoft got to start at CES and became the global entity. Mario Armstrong: Is that right? Tara Dunion: That it now is and so CES is all about coming here meeting with the epicenter of the Tech World we’ve got. Certainly, over a hundred thousand attendees here. Mario Armstrong: And it represent like over a 140 different countries assigned. Tara Dunion: Right, all over the world and anyone whose anyone in the Consumer Technology Industry is here whether it’s media, whether it’s venture capitalist, buyers, manufacturers, the content community whatever your business. It released the Technology you need to be here because this is the place to have the meetings to see all the key people and to help launch your company. Mario Armstrong: Absolutely, and that’s what’s different about the show. It’s not just about just the technology itself. It’s the networking that takes place. The quality of the meetings that you’re able to have, I mean for a couple of companies that I spoke with. And when asked the question, “If you were to try to meet as many people or have as much as quality time and phase time with some of the people that you’ve had here, how long will that take you normally to accomplish?” And he said about a year. And they said by that time some of our technology is outdated. Tara Dunion: Right, exactly. 2009 everyone is trying to maximize budget so you could make one trip to a CES you have. Our average attendee has 12 meetings while here again from people from all over the world. All different facets of their business and it’s truly the way to jumpstart the year. Get your business strategy right where you want it to be and to be a success. Mario Armstrong: Yeah, now you mentioned the large numbers and we bumped into some of the entrepreneurs that are so excited about the energy that’s in the air and the opportunity that they get here to brand and market their devices or their products or even their services. Talk quickly about how you feel about going into as to the year 2009 about Consumer Electronics and just the technology and the business behind it. Tara Dunion: Certainly the economy is for fun in everyone’s minds, and young people are watching their dollars a little more closely perhaps their traveling less, going on a less vacations, but Consumer Technology is just so essential to people’s lives whether you’ve got taking that vacation. You still going to want to stay home you’re going to want to treat yourself a little bit. Mario Armstrong: That’s right. Tara Dunion: And make it a little worth well so your HD televisions are huge. And we’re seeing this year converges between what you can do on your phone, what you can do on your television or what you can do on your computer, and that’s all just kind of merging all together, so that people still want Consumer Technology in their lives because it makes it better, helps them learn, helps them be entertained and helps make life a little more fun. Mario Armstrong: Okay, so the bottomline is it’s affordable for people to participate. I mean small business they shouldn’t think that this is too large of the show. I mean they hear the phenomenal numbers, the amount of attendees, the amount of exhibitors and they may feel the impression. “Well, I’m too small to participate.” That’s not true. Tara Dunion: CES has something for companies of all size if you want your 10x10 booth we have that, and that is how a myriad of companies have had launched their businesses and really got their products out there on the market. And certainly if you want a meeting with me you want a schedule soon with some business deals you can do that as well. And if you want a big, big exhibit space you can do that too. Mario Armstrong: Well, Tara Dunion. Thank you so much for spending time with us on SBTV.com. We really sure to educate us about the opportunities here that small business owners should be looking at in terms of participating with the CES show. It’s been a great time. I can vouch for the amount of opportunities that I’ve seen people actually exchanging the meetings that they have been having and the smiles that I’m seeing on a lot of peoples faces about the opportunities that had been exchange here. Tara Dunion: Absolutely, it’s all about meeting people face to face doing the handshake. Show them your product and make it happens. Mario Armstrong: That’s right. Tara Dunion: So CES is the place for that. Mario Armstrong: Thanks so much for your time and continued success. Tara Dunion: Well, thank you. Same to you. Mario Armstrong: Alright, It’s Mario Armstrong from the SBTV.com. This is Tara Dunion, Senior Director of Communications with the CEA.