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CES 2014 From a Consulting Firm’s Perspective

DaveBim-Merle
Partner

The latest in tech at CES last week was very different that my last visit in 2011. 3D TVs were almost nowhere to be seen this year. Instead, wearables, 3D printers, and 4k TVs were in abundant supply. I even sported Google Glass to capture the action. Although the tech changed, two things remained constant for 219: the importance of meetings, and our role as a “silent development partner.”

Our meetings happened spontaneously on the show floor, were squeezed in over lunch, and scheduled off-site at private company suites. The show floor presented a first-hand opportunity to see how our clients and others in their product space were marketing to the public. The lunches allowed us to get our clients’ perspectives on what they were seeing at CES and how it affected their development strategies for 2014. The private showings allowed us to see behind-the-scenes prototypes and hear about plans that could only be discussed behind closed doors. All of these meetings provided context so that 219 can better serve our clients.

Andrew chats with a representative of a company involved in the product space of a client.

219’s frequent role as a “silent development partner” was very obvious to me as I visited our clients on the show floor. Although 219 was the primary contributor on numerous prototypes, our name was nowhere to be seen. It is important for many of our clients to cultivate a brand image of innovation and engineering excellence. That brand image does not always include technical partners, especially when their high-tech gadget is on display at CES. Outside of the CES context, 219 works with our clients to ensure that 219’s marketing efforts align with their goals. This includes whether or not the company is listed as a client, whether there is a portfolio piece on our website, and whether blog or other postings reference our work together.

I look forward to seeing what will be revealed at CES next year, and hope that 219 can continue to play a part in some awesome prototypes and products!