With 15-foot-tall perimeter walls, the enclosed space shielded attendees from distractions, while amplifying the brand narrative through elements such as a 40-foot LED tunnel, a rotating vehicle display, and the moving OLED entrance display.Photo: Courtesy of Czarnowski Collective
Owned and produced by the Consumer Technology Association (CTA), this year’s iteration took place Jan. 9-12 and welcomed more than 4,000 exhibitors, including a record 1,400-plus startups, with programming primarily taking place at the Las Vegas Convention Center (LVCC) and covering 2.5 million net square feet of exhibits—15% bigger than the 2023 event.
Keep scrolling to see activation highlights from CES 2024…
Pinterest: A New Era
At The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas' Blue Ribbon, guests were welcomed through an illuminated Pin-shaped doorway at the "Pinterest: A New Era" activation, which included shoppable trend installations to highlight the platform’s shift into shopping tech. Global brand experience agency Amplify produced the experience.
Photo: Courtesy of Pinterest
At Pinterest’s Gen-Zenius bar, guests were encouraged to explore how Gen Z inspired the company’s latest shoppable features like Collages. (The technology automatically detects objects in scenes so you can cut out any image and arrange, size, and layer cutouts together like old-school magazine collages.)
"Gen Z is our fastest-growing audience," said Seán Doyle, director of experiential marketing for Pinterest, in an on-site interview with BizBash. "We wanted to bring that audience to life, and the heart of our activation this year is the Gen-Zenius bar, with this prime position in the archway as you come in. This is an opportunity for our clients and visitors to our events to come and learn about what's driving this momentum at Pinterest."
"Gen Z is our fastest-growing audience," said Seán Doyle, director of experiential marketing for Pinterest, in an on-site interview with BizBash. "We wanted to bring that audience to life, and the heart of our activation this year is the Gen-Zenius bar, with this prime position in the archway as you come in. This is an opportunity for our clients and visitors to our events to come and learn about what's driving this momentum at Pinterest."
Photo: Courtesy of Pinterest
Displays around the activation showcased various Pinterest Predicts trends like "Be Jelly" (an ode to the squishy aesthetic found in shoes and handbags) and the ones pictured here, "Blue Beauty" (all about blue glam makeup) and "Hot Metals" (cool silver tones and bold chrome). "All of the products here are from Pinterest merchants," Doyle said. "We created an online store for all of the trends, so people can scan the QR code and shop right on Pinterest."
Photo: Courtesy of Pinterest
Attendees could also get manicures with “Blue Beauty” and “Hot Metals” finishes, including silver and blue chrome nails, decals, and stickers; receive “Bow Stacking” styling services from Los Angeles creator Tay Pac; and create custom merch crossbody bags with pins reflecting their favorite Pinterest Predicts trends.
Photo: Courtesy of Pinterest
After last year, the Pinterest team realized its CES activation needed more space for entertaining clients and hosting meetings—cue this area in the back filled with comfy seating, snacks, and plenty of tables.
Photo: Courtesy of Pinterest
Google
For Google’s Android booth, located at Central Plaza-1, Pink Sparrow fabricated all of the interior elements of the building structures including product displays. Visitors were able to scan a QR code to access an augmented reality experience with The Bot as a guide. The booth’s lead agency was Media.Monks and structural fabrication was handled by Sparks.
Photo: Courtesy of Pink Sparrow
Attendees could test out Magic Editor, an experimental editing experience in Google Photos on Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro that uses generative AI to make complex photo edits easier. A sleek photo booth-style structure served as the display installation for this feature.
Photo: Courtesy of Pink Sparrow
Magic Compose in Google Messages is a beta feature powered by generative AI that offers suggested responses based on the context of your messages. You can also type what you want to say and select from a broad range of tones like “lyrical” or “Shakespeare” to transform your message. At giant green mailboxes, attendees were able to compose a message, print it out like a physical postcard, and mail it.
Photo: Courtesy of Pink Sparrow
Netflix’s ‘3 Body Problem’ Experience
In support of its upcoming mystery drama 3 Body Problem, Netflix offered attendees a first look at the trailer for the show.
Photo: Courtesy of Netflix
Inside the mirrored-wall exhibit, which was produced by MKG, attendees donned gaming headsets, like those used by the characters in the series, to watch the trailer. The space also featured a wraparound screen and bursts of heat and wind to transport the visitors to the show’s mysterious world.
Photo: Courtesy of Netflix
Reddit’s ‘The Key to Context’
Reddit returned to CES with an all-new activation called ”The Key to Context.” It brought to life conversations from Reddit communities in an immersive experience, produced by Giant Spoon, at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas. Across three interactive installations, attendees could discover how Redditors navigate conversations and the contextual environment that's created through these discussions, which can benefit advertisers.
Photo: Courtesy of Reddit
Guests followed an interactive recommendation journey to understand how an initial question, idea, or passion can lead to a well-informed, satisfied purchase decision across a range of product categories.
Photo: Courtesy of Reddit
Using their own key that was handed out on arrival, guests “unlocked” each installation to discover in real time how brands can find, enter, and enhance these conversations through Reddit’s full-funnel ad solutions.
Photo: Courtesy of Reddit
Kubota
2024 marked Kubota’s debut at CES, where it shared its vision for a more connected and sustainable future. The exhibit featured the unveiling of its newly designed driverless, fully electric, autonomous vehicle.
Photo: Courtesy of Czarnowski Collective
The activation, produced by Czarnowski Collective, included an immersive theater that demonstrated the agricultural machinery company’s vision for future farming using automation, AI, and electrification.
Photo: Courtesy of Czarnowski Collective
Mobileye
Autonomous driving company Mobileye’s 7,000-square-foot booth, which was produced by marketing agency Ruckus, featured an angled LED screen and a structural "ribbon" illuminated by 22 projectors that was intended to mimic the feel of being in an autonomous vehicle. Two brand-new vehicles from VW and Polestar were also on display.
Photo: Courtesy of Ruckus
During CES, two separate press conferences were livestreamed to the booth from a custom-built 6,000-square-foot room with a 40-foot LED wall. More than 40,000 attendees visited the booth.
Photo: Courtesy of Ruckus
LG
This year, LG debuted OLED T, a transparent version of the brand's OLED screen. A wall of the new screens greeted attendees.
Photo: Courtesy of Czarnowski Collective
The LG exhibit, which was produced by Czarnowski Collective, was strategically segmented into four zones—home, commercial, mobility, and sustainability—to highlight the company's innovation across different aspects of everyday life.
Photo: Courtesy of Czarnowski Collective
With 15-foot-tall perimeter walls, the enclosed space shielded attendees from distractions, while amplifying the brand narrative through elements such as a 40-foot LED tunnel, a rotating vehicle display, and the moving OLED entrance display.
Photo: Courtesy of Czarnowski Collective
Proto
On the AgeTech Collaborative from AARP stage, Howie Mandel, who serves as an advisor to Proto, beamed in from Los Angeles to address the CES crowd via hologram. At CES, the company announced that Faith Popcorn, CEO of marketing consulting firm BrainReserve, has joined Proto as its "Official Futurist."
Photo: Courtesy of Proto
iHeartMedia & MediaLink VIP Executive Dinner
Weezer performed at a VIP dinner hosted by iHeartMedia and MediaLink at Zouk Nightclub at Resorts World Las Vegas on Jan. 9. The party brought together influential decision-makers and thought leaders in the media ecosystem. Guest attendees included celebrities, business leaders, and advertising partners.
Photo: Denise Truscello/Getty Images for iHeartRadio
Mercedes-AMG’s MBUX Sound Drive
Mercedes-AMG announced MBUX Sound Drive, a new feature that uses sensors and software to link music to driving. Basically, the automaker has composed musical tracks to pair with regular functions like acceleration, steering, and braking—turning the car into a musical instrument of sorts. The new “interactive musical experience” was created along with musician and entrepreneur Will.i.am. Attendees were able to experience MBUX Sound Drive for themselves by booking a test drive in a Mercedes-AMG EQE or EQE SUV at CES.
Photo: Courtesy of Mercedes-AMG
John Deere Ag
At the John Deere Ag exhibit booth, which was produced by branding agency MC², showgoers were able to operate an autonomous tractor that was located in Austin, Texas, witnessing every action through a livestream on the show floor. Afterward, attendees were given a brief lesson on how John Deere’s AI-driven technology is supporting sustainable agriculture.
Photo: Courtesy of MC²
Roku
DesignScene executed Roku’s CES activation sustainably, repurposing scenic elements from 2023 to build a fresh atmosphere at Aria for 2024. The space served as a lush oasis with meeting suites and lounge areas that were surrounded by greenery and offered Vegas skyline views.
Photo: Courtesy of DesignScene
A strategically designed entrance with an LED archway welcomed guests, and subtle touches in Roku's brand colors were featured throughout the meeting spaces, including the digital screen saver backdrop.
Photo: Courtesy of DesignScene
SK Wonderland
Seoul-based conglomerate SK Group unveiled a display of artificial intelligence and carbon-reduction technologies under an amusement park concept called “SK Wonderland.”
Photo: Courtesy of SK Group
The giant “Wonder Globe” was at the center of the theme park.
Photo: Courtesy of SK Group
Highlights included a magic carpet ride (pictured) in a flying vehicle embedded with an AI processor to help it navigate dense, urban areas. An AI fortuneteller was powered by next-generation memory technologies that are designed to help computers analyze and learn from massive amounts of data to predict the future, and a rainbow-hued tube showed how waste like plastics is being turned into fuel.
Photo: Courtesy of SK Group
Attendees could also ride the "Clean Energy Train" (pictured), which is powered by hydrogen, with its only emission being water. In addition to SK Wonderland, a separate “SK ICT Family Demo Room” exhibit showcased AI technologies ranging from a location analysis platform to a pet diagnostic assistant. Both booths were on display at the Las Vegas Convention Center’s Central Hall.
Photo: Courtesy of SK Group
Panasonic
The focus of the Panasonic exhibit, produced by Czarnowski Collective, was to share the brand’s mission: “Create Today. Enrich Tomorrow.” Visitors began their experience with a visit to the Future Vision Theater to learn more. This was followed by seven zones where attendees could learn about sustainable energy solutions as well as products designed for everyday life.
Photo: Courtesy of Czarnowski Collective
The Xumo Experience
Designed and produced by Sktch Events, the consumer electronics company’s combined 10,000-square-foot activation at Vdara featured mounted demo TVs, fabricated walls with cement vinyl in collaboration with Candid Worldwide, and installations with corporate information.
Photo: Courtesy of Sktch Events
Walmart
2024 marked Walmart's first time activating at CES—where Walmart CEO Doug McMillon also served as a keynote speaker.
See more: Why Was Walmart at CES This Year? Inside Its Massive Activation at the Tech Trade Show
See more: Why Was Walmart at CES This Year? Inside Its Massive Activation at the Tech Trade Show
Photo: Courtesy of LEO Events
Walmart's massive activation, produced by LEO Events, was erected outside the Las Vegas Convention Center on its Central Plaza. The 50-by-140-foot tented structure spanned two floors and was an immersive experience designed to reflect what it's like to be at one of the company's distribution centers. At the end of the experience, visitors had the option to experience a 4D ride, where they followed a strawberry supply chain story.
See more: Why Was Walmart at CES This Year? Inside Its Massive Activation at the Tech Trade Show
See more: Why Was Walmart at CES This Year? Inside Its Massive Activation at the Tech Trade Show
Photo: Courtesy of Walmart
