The Speed of Culture Podcast – "Power Circuit: How CES Fuses Tech, Culture, and Business into a Global Moment"

Host: Matt Britton (Founder & CEO, Suzy)
Guest: Melissa Harrison (VP of Marketing & Communications, Consumer Technology Association)
Date: January 27, 2026

Episode Overview

In this live episode from CES 2026 in Las Vegas, host Matt Britton is joined by Melissa Harrison, Vice President of Marketing Communications at the Consumer Technology Association (CTA), which produces CES. They explore CES’s transformation into a global tentpole event that sits at the heart of technology, culture, and business. The conversation unpacks how CES shapes and is shaped by emerging trends—especially AI—how it convenes industries, and what it takes behind the scenes to orchestrate this massive event while continuing to innovate and serve the global tech ecosystem.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Melissa Harrison’s Career Path & Role at CTA

• Nontraditional Journey: Melissa describes her progression from public policy in the Obama administration, through agency life at Ogilvy, into her CTA role.

  “Turnout for voters is just like getting people to show up at a trade show in January. Right. Someday I'm going to write about this, but there's a real intersection between just politics and policy and the work that I'm doing now, which I find very interesting.” – Melissa Harrison, [02:50]

• Scope of CTA Beyond CES:

  • Not just the show—CTA has 160 staff across government affairs, research, and standards.
  • Key contributions: over-the-counter hearing aids policy work, setting standards like airplane mode.

The Evolution of CES and Its Cultural Impact

• From “Gadget Show” to Business Driver:

  • CES was once defined by gadgets; now, every company is a tech company, and media, marketers, and consumer brands all participate.
  • The show's scale fosters cross-industry inspiration, idea-sharing, and B2B opportunities.

  “We always say that every company is a technology company. And that is proven true across CES because we touch every sector, every category.” – Melissa Harrison, [06:24]

• Scale & Logistics Behind the Scenes:

  • CES operates across 13 venues in Las Vegas, requiring 150,000 hotel rooms and months of construction.
  • Las Vegas is the only city that can handle the event’s scale, both physically and in terms of infrastructure.

Marketing and Audience Engagement

• Never Resting on Laurels:

  • Constant refreshes and ambitious goals are key. The audience is global, constantly changing.

• Personalization & AI in Marketing:

  • AI empowers CTA to segment and target prospective attendees and exhibitors more intelligently.

  “I think it really comes down to personalization and this is something that AI has just accelerated for us, for us to be able to talk to hundreds of thousands of people to get to that number of the 143 [thousand] who actually show up on site.” – Melissa Harrison, [11:19]

• Two-sided Marketplace: Attendees & Exhibitors:

  • Marketing must address both exhibitor and attendee needs, plus the rapidly evolving media and creator economies.

The Growing Role of Creators and Media

• Creator Economy’s Influence:

  • Explosion in coverage by YouTubers and content creators—recognizing creators as unique stakeholders, not just press.
  • CES built a “creator space”—evolved from a media lounge to being on the show floor for maximum relevance.

  “They don’t want to be in a media lounge. They want to be on the show floor… And then watching the rate at which they are able to turn over content, it’s crazy.” – Melissa Harrison, [13:02]

• Community and Ecosystem Building:

  • CTA is now facilitating more networking, matchmaking between creators, brands, exhibitors—breaking down old barriers.

The AI Moment at CES 2026

• AI from Theory to Practice:

  • 2026 marks a shift from AI hype to tangible, real-world products—“physical AI,” “digital twins,” humanoids.

  “We went from theoretical to practical. You’re going to see AI, you’re going to see physical AI, you’re going to see digital twins, you’re going to see all the humanoids… I feel like this is the year that we take that giant leap forward where you start to see all the things that we’ve been talking about in theory.” – Melissa Harrison, [01:26], [18:15], [19:28]

• First-Mover Product Launches:

  • Companies use CES to debut world-firsts—e.g., Waymo’s autonomous driving approval in Las Vegas.
  • The show is a window into tomorrow’s technology and trends.

  “We love that people come here to make news. It's an incredible ecosystem between our exhibitors making news and the media wanting to be here gobbling it up.” – Melissa Harrison, [19:41]

The Enduring Value of In-Person Events

• The Power of Serendipity & Human Interaction:

  • Despite the rise of remote work and Zoom, nothing replaces bumping into a business partner on the floor, forging spontaneous connections.

  “You cannot replace the serendipity of bumping into someone on the show floor and having a conversation—even the conversation you and I are having now… you can’t replace that in person.” – Melissa Harrison, [20:54]

• Strategic Category Placement:

  • Example: Moved digital health and smart home together to reflect industry convergence (e.g., remote health monitoring at home).

The Future and Expansion of CES

• Continuous Innovation:

  • Planning is always balancing the present and the future. Melissa: “Half of my brain is 2026, but when I get here and the other half is 2027.” [23:14]

• Foundry & Quantum Leap:

  • New for 2026: CES Foundry at Fontainebleau, focused on AI and quantum computing—with live demos.

  “We're going to be at Fontainebleau this year. That's going to be on days two and three. That's all AI and Quantum… There's going to be actual Quantum demos. And I would love to tell you that I can explain to you how Quantum works. I cannot. That's why I do marketing.” – Melissa Harrison, [24:08]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

| Timestamp | Speaker | Quote | |-----------|---------|-------| | 01:26 | Melissa Harrison | “We went from theoretical to practical. You’re going to see AI, you’re going to see physical AI, you’re going to see digital twins, you’re going to see all the humanoids… this is the year that we take that giant leap forward.” | | 06:24 | Melissa Harrison | “We always say that every company is a technology company. And that is proven true across CES because we touch every sector, every category.” | | 11:19 | Melissa Harrison | “I think it really comes down to personalization and this is something that AI has just accelerated for us... We have to know our audience so well…” | | 13:02 | Melissa Harrison | “They don’t want to be in a media lounge. They want to be on the show floor… watching the rate at which they are able to turn over content, it’s crazy.” | | 19:41 | Melissa Harrison | “We love that people come here to make news. It's an incredible ecosystem between our exhibitors making news and the media wanting to be here gobbling it up.” | | 20:54 | Melissa Harrison | “You cannot replace the serendipity of bumping into someone on the show floor and having a conversation—even the conversation you and I are having now… you can’t replace that in person.” | | 24:08 | Melissa Harrison | “We're going to be at Fontainebleau this year… all AI and Quantum. There's going to be actual Quantum demos. And I would love to tell you that I can explain to you how Quantum works. I cannot. That's why I do marketing.” | | 25:04 | Melissa Harrison | “Say yes… even if you don't think you're completely ready to step through that door, that the door has been opened, you need to say yes. Like, take the chance, make a new partnership, take the new job, do the things.” | | 25:14 | Melissa Harrison | “The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” (quoting Eleanor Roosevelt) |

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Career Background & CTA Overview – [02:32]–[05:02]
• History and Growth of CES – [05:20]–[07:52]
• Logistics & Marketing the Show – [07:52]–[12:19]
• Role of Creators & Evolving Media – [12:37]–[15:49]
• AI as the Breakthrough Theme of 2026 – [17:23]–[20:13]
• Importance of In-Person Experience – [20:31]–[22:15]
• Future of CES & Foundry Initiative – [23:14]–[24:37]
• Mantra & Closing Thoughts – [24:47]–[25:53]

Closing: Mantras & Career Advice

• “Say Yes”: Embrace new opportunities and be open to possibility, even if you aren’t fully ready. Step through the doors that open.
• Eleanor Roosevelt Quote: “The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.”

  “If you don’t believe in the beauty of your dreams in the future, how do you make them happen?” – Melissa Harrison, [25:14]

This episode provides a front-row look at how CES reflects and drives the merging of technology, business, and culture—and why convening in-person at grand scale still holds powerful value in the age of AI and digital transformation.