Power Circuit: How CES Fuses Tech, Culture, and Business into a Global Moment

Summary

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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

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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.

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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]

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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) |

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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]

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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]

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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.

Transcript

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[Melissa Harrison]

Think what we're seeing this year in 2026, what is going to be the giant leap forward? And this is just from what I'm seeing and what I've seen on the floor. This is the actual 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, right? Like, 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.

[Matt Britton]

To thrive in a rapidly evolving landscape, brands must move at an ever increasing pace. I'm Matt Britton, Founder and CEO of Suzy. Join me and key industry leaders as we dive deep into the shifting consumer trends within their industry, why it matters now, and how you can keep up. Welcome to the Speed of Culture. We are live in Vegas here at the CES show, and today we are thrilled to welcome Melissa Harrison, the Vice President of Marketing Communications at the Consumer Technology Associ. Melissa is a seasoned communications and marketing leader with deep experience shaping narratives at the intersection of Technology, culture, and public policy. Melissa, thanks so much for joining.

[Melissa Harrison]

Oh, my gosh, it's such a privilege to be here. Thank you for having me.

[Matt Britton]

Absolutely. So we are here. CES week. We made it Las Vegas 2026, and you were kind enough to lend us some of your time in what I'm sure is a very busy week for you. Tell me about the road you took in your career to lead you to your current role as VP of Marketing at cta.

[Melissa Harrison]

We could talk for hours about that, but I'll try to keep it as simple as possible. I think if you looked at my resume, you would probably say, that doesn't make a lot of sense. But I spent some time in my early career working in public policy and really at the intersection of politics and policy. And what I've realized is that 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. But, yeah, so I spent some time there. I worked in the Obama administration at US epa, dealt with a number of fun issues while there, and then had the opportunity to go to Ogilvy and really understand how brands are made.

[Matt Britton]

And it's a great place to cut your teeth. That's easy, isn't it?

[Melissa Harrison]

I jokingly said to them, if you're crazy enough to hire me, I'm crazy enough to actually say yes. Because most people start their careers at an agency and then work the other way. I sort of did the opposite. I came out of the Obama administration and was really interested in what don't I know? What do I want to do next in my career? What can I learn? And that is really where I just started to understand the intersection between marketing and communications in a really fundamental way, and started working more across the corporate sector. And so when CTA called, there was no way I was going to say no. I've known about CES my whole career. CTA is well known in the Washington area for the policy and advocacy work that they do for the industry. It's a really great place to work with really great people. And so I had the opportunity and I jumped at it.

[Matt Britton]

So how much of your role is spending time on all the other stuff because. And maybe we could talk about those other things that CTA does.

[Melissa Harrison]

That's right.

[Matt Britton]

It's more than just the show.

[Melissa Harrison]

That's right. Most people don't know that there's about 160 staff at CTA that do all of the things I'm going to say and the show on top of it. So we actually have a full government affairs team. So we're a huge policy advocacy organization working on behalf of the tech industry, not only in Washington, but across the states and across the globe. On top of that we have a full research team. So we put out a ton of research, really setting the standards for the industry and helping people understand what's happening. And then on top of that, we also have a fully ANSI accredited standards team. Every time you turn on airplane mode, CTA made that.

[Matt Britton]

Wow.

[Melissa Harrison]

So it's just a gentle reminder that.

[Matt Britton]

Things are just coming out of nowhere.

[Melissa Harrison]

That's right. They don't come from nowhere. You know, we recently, the standards team and the policy team worked together for over the counter hearing aids to make them more accessible for people. And so none of this happens overnight. But that's all happening at the same time that we're getting ready to put on the world's best tech show.

[Matt Britton]

Yeah. And we're going to get into that. I've actually worked with CTA for now, nearly 25 years. I worked with them when they were CEA.

[Melissa Harrison]

Yes.

[Matt Britton]

And my former agency MRY created something called the TKO Thunder Dorm Tour, which basically it was like a technology infused dorm room and we actually built it on the showroom floor. That's so to show what the future dorm room would be. It's crazy because companies like Nvidia I worked with through CEA back then and they were just making Xbox accessories, who knew it would be where it was. And over the last 25 years, as I've continually come back to the show, it's just expanded. Right. And it used to just be about physical electronics.

[Melissa Harrison]

Right.

[Matt Britton]

And then you start this, right. And then you start to see some of the broadcasters and media companies come. Now you have Procter and gamble here and PepsiCo and these companies. So why has it expanded and why has this become really a tentpole in business across media, entertainment, technology, marketing, et cetera?

[Melissa Harrison]

It is, it's super interesting because when I started I was going through the history of the show and there was a period of time where everybody wrote about the show and it was the Gadget Show.

[Matt Britton]

Yeah.

[Melissa Harrison]

Right. And now we go out to do media interviews and they say, you haven't talked about any gadgets. Are the TVs still going to be there? And I'm like, they're still going to be amazing TV. Big TVs huge. Amazing TVs. But the evolution of technology, I think we thought about them in individual devices and now we're wearing them. Our car is a device. Everything that we touch, we always say that every company is a technology company. And that is proven true across CES because we touch every sector, every category. Anything you can think about, it's really here. And I think this is where business gets done and people want to kick off their year. They want to be together. The partnerships. When you walk the show floor, you may be not in the mobility sector, but you walk through west hall, you can be inspired by anything that you see there. And that can ignite another idea of how to parlay that into something else or to move it from, hey, this works really well in the car. What if we moved it to this? And I think people want that excitement and that feeling at the beginning of the year. Everything's fresh and new. Let's get to the show. It sort of feels like a family reunion. People are hugging, saying hello to one another. But I do think that ultimately we are a B2B show. And you've just seen that grow over the years. The enterprise sector continues to grow. So much of what ends up being consumer technology really does start across the enterprise. And so you can't walk the show floor and not be inspired. And I think people want to be here for that.

[Matt Britton]

Yeah. So what goes into putting on a show like this? I think I read there's over 150,000 people.

[Melissa Harrison]

So last year we had 143,000 people. I can never tell you how many people are going to come. We can probably get into it because.

[Matt Britton]

For those who have been at ces, there's a whole ecosystem around ces. Obviously the convention center is sort of like ground zero to speak for the show. But then there's all these sort of pop up and satell events and it's sort of like it creates this huge.

[Melissa Harrison]

So we have 13 total venues across Las Vegas. So people often ask us, why Las Vegas, why January? So I'm going to give you those, that inside scoop. Why January? We start building the show in the middle of December. There's only one period of time across Las Vegas and the convention center that there is enough downtime to build out a show of our size.

[Matt Britton]

Wow.

[Melissa Harrison]

So it has to be that period of time.

[Matt Britton]

So you start everything loads in December. It takes two, three weeks to put everything together.

[Melissa Harrison]

Yes. The second is that we always in Las Vegas because there is no other place in the world that has enough floor space or hotel rooms in the world. Correct.

[Matt Britton]

Wow.

[Melissa Harrison]

Correct. Las Vegas has 150,000 hotel rooms, which we need. Yeah.

[Matt Britton]

I mean, Las Vegas can really digest ces.

[Melissa Harrison]

That's right.

[Matt Britton]

It's crowded, but it doesn't seem chaotic.

[Melissa Harrison]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Well, we do our best. Our operations team, who's phenomenal, does a lot to make sure that it doesn't feel overwhelming, from the shuttles to everything else that we do to try to help people get around the town. But it's pretty incredible. So you asked, really, how do we do it? There's a core leadership team across all of the priority issues that you're thinking about. So we have marketing, communications, we have operations, we have sales. We have anything you can think of. There's someone who needs to be a lead for that.

[Matt Britton]

Yeah.

[Melissa Harrison]

What I love to think about is my first day here. I just take a moment to sort of look around. It takes millions of pieces to put this show together, and we have a finite amount of people who do it. And it's just nice to take that moment, take a deep breath, and say, we made it.

[Matt Britton]

And that's one of the great things about being in the event business, because if you're in a business that where you create digital products, you can't really touch and feel it right away. The physicality, the enormity of walking to the show and knowing that you played a role to bring this to life.

[Melissa Harrison]

Right. Especially so last year when we did a wholesale brand change. So new look, new feel, and to show up and see it for the first time in a very tangible way. The website looks great, our business cards look great. Right. All of the things that us as marketers look at to make sure that everything's right, but to actually see, coming up, the escalator in the Venetian Expo and seeing the entire logo of 12 foot letters. Right. There's really nothing better than that.

[Matt Britton]

So obviously, your role is marketing the show. What does that look like? Who you marketing it to? What tactics are you using to make sure that it continues to be. Because you can't take it for granted. Right. There's other conferences, there's other places. You're at the top, but you don't want to lose that.

[Melissa Harrison]

We never rest on our laurels and we invite pretty audacious goals for ourselves. We like to bring new things to the table all the time.

[Matt Britton]

And global audience, too, Right?

[Melissa Harrison]

Exactly. And so we have to not only look at who's our core audience, that's who's been here before. We look at our basically the last three years of like, who's been here, how are we talking to them? But we also have to go out and grow. That's on top of everything we're doing. And we have to do that across not just the US but globally. This year has been particularly interesting from a marketing perspective. Globally, right. Where we've been dealing with geopolitical issues, we've been dealing with terrorists.

[Progressive Insurance Announcer]

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[Melissa Harrison]

There's so also you're a trade association and many times in other countries there's no separation between the government and a trade association. And so having to establish ourselves as we are a separate organization, this is what we stand for, this is who we are. We've been very, very vocal in her opposition to the tariffs. But all of that, as you know, starts to sort of co mingle and you have to work through all of those nuances, which I will just say 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 who actually show up on site. We've really broken it down. We have to know our audience so well because we can't go and talk to you about mobility if that's not what you're actually interested in. It's not going to drive you to take any action. And so we've worked really hard on our audience Personas really thinking through how does this speak to our customer and what's going to drive them to make the decision to come to Las Vegas and your customer.

[Matt Britton]

It's a two sided marketplace. So it's the attendee and the exhibitor.

[Melissa Harrison]

That's exactly right. So we don't just get the privilege of looking at the attendee. Right. As a marketing communications team, we're also talking to the exhibitors. We're also thinking about who's going to be keynoting and what that's going to be looking like and how do we weave that into what we're talking about. There's just so many layers.

[Matt Britton]

The media too is massive.

[Melissa Harrison]

Oh my gosh. So we had over 6,500 media and content creators on the ground last. I think we're going to be bursting at the seams again this year, especially.

[Matt Britton]

Now with the creator economy. So many YouTubers coming in that cover this stuff. I mean, my 18 year old son is here and he's a YouTuber and he's the showroom floor right now covering different things for all of his friends and his followers. And I think that's a very cool new wrinkle in all of this.

[Melissa Harrison]

So I will say, I think one of the things that historically we sort of always did was lump them into media that just assuming that they would sort of want the same services, the same like touch points. And we really took some time to step back and say, that's actually not how creators are want to show up. And we did some very deep dives and conversations with creators to say, what is it that you want? Right. Let's like listen to what they actually want. They don't want to be in a media lounge. They want to be on the show floor. Right. They want to be in the middle of action and then watching the rate at which they are able to turn over content.

[Matt Britton]

It's crazy. Well, if you think about that, mind boggling. Used to be you had somebody there doing videography, photography. There's a different writer, there's an editor.

[Melissa Harrison]

Exactly.

[Matt Britton]

The creator, all in one with the phone, doing it.

[Melissa Harrison]

Right.

[Matt Britton]

Sometimes live.

[Melissa Harrison]

So this in 2025, we built the creator space for the first time. And I kind of joked, I was like, if we build it, will they come?

[Matt Britton]

Right?

[Melissa Harrison]

You dip your toe in the water. And we got feedback as we were building it, we really tried to work with the creators that we work with to just really get insights of. Like, if we put a lounge, does that make sense? Do you? If there's a stage where you come and listen to other people, like, is that something that the community wants? And what we saw was that it was, it went gangbusters.

[Matt Britton]

Yeah.

[Melissa Harrison]

And so actually we had it in the central lobby and the feedback we got was, it was so great. But can you put it on the floor? Because we want to be able to pop in and hear someone speaking for a couple of minutes and then we want to be able to get back out on the floor and produce content. And so we were like, we can absolutely do that. So we moved it into central hall this year. And the other thing is that we had it limited to just media badges so that the creators could get in. But then we were hearing from brands that they also wanted to be in there because they wanted to have conversations.

[Matt Britton]

And other attendees, publishers too.

[Melissa Harrison]

Absolutely. And so we said, you know what, this needs to be an open space for dialogue. We want to be a true thought leader, where we are a convener, where we allow people to have these conversations.

[Matt Britton]

And that's how the media landscape has evolved. It used to be there's a select few that controlled the narrative and there are big media companies now we're all creators, we're all publishers, right? We all have this device that allows us to capture anything at any moment.

[Melissa Harrison]

That's right. And it's really been interesting because we've also started to learn just the creator economy around our exhibitors as well, and better understanding who they're bringing to the show and who they're working with. And then also for us, creators are like, it's great that we're coming to the show, we're having a lot of fun. We love putting out the content, but this is also our business, right? How do we get to know the exhibitors? And so for us to better understand what's the role that we should play in that conversation, Maybe a little bit of matchmaking and a little magic there, but it's been really interesting and really evolving and it's been something that has been a little for me outside of what I typically have done. And so I've loved getting to learn and understand and really listening to provide a product that they want.

[Matt Britton]

We'll be right back with the Speed of Culture after a few words from our sponsors.

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[Matt Britton]

So, as I mentioned, I've been coming for 25 years, and every couple years is a new big theme. And I remember when it was the iPhone, and then there was all these iPhone accessory companies and app companies, and then you had the whole world of digital media and streaming, and then you had a lot of the broadcast networks coming. I remember at one point, one of the year was like, 3D technology, 3D printing. That's right, 3D TVs, all those things. And now this is the year, along with last year, but definitely this year, of AI at ces. How big is AI of the CES story, and how do you see AI transforming the show itself?

[Melissa Harrison]

I think what's really interesting is that if you look over the course of the last few years, coming out of the pandemic, AI has clearly been a part of the conversation.

[Matt Britton]

Did you guys cancel one year because of the pandemic or did you run it?

[Melissa Harrison]

We actually did a digital show. It was right before I started.

[Matt Britton]

That's 2020 or 2021.

[Melissa Harrison]

21.

[Matt Britton]

Right.

[Melissa Harrison]

So 22 was the first year back. Yeah, the conversation was happening, but it felt like the gasoline got poured on the fire after ChatGPT. Right. So that became a word that even my mom in Ohio was like, what's this?

[Matt Britton]

It's the AOL of the AI generation. AOL got everybody online.

[Melissa Harrison]

ChatGPT 100%. And then it just felt like it ignited a larger conversation. And we kind of laug because we're like, well, AI has actually been a part of the show for many, many years. If you used an Uber to get here, if you flew on a plane. Right. AI has been a part of all of this. But I think it started once it kind of crossed over into that vernacular with, like, the normal, like, Joe on the street. Yeah, it really took off. I think over the last two years, what you've seen is a lot of talk about it, and everybody felt like it was like, I need to have AI and whatever I'm talking about to figure it out. Right. I think what we're seeing this year in 2026, which is going to be the giant leap forward, and this is just from what I'm seeing and what I've seen on the floor, this is the actual. 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. Right. Like, 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.

[Matt Britton]

And we're at the bleeding edge of it. Right. Like, companies that are making these breakthroughs. Right, Right. And they're saying, wow, this technology could really do interesting things with our product or service. People never dreamed of the first place they're going to bring to the public is here.

[Melissa Harrison]

That's right. And it is a privilege for us that they choose to do that. 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.

[Matt Britton]

Yeah.

[Melissa Harrison]

So it's really great that they want to start the year off here. And we've already had such incredible news. I mean, I just saw on my way here, I was literally scrolling through, and Waymo had just gotten their approvals to start testing autonomous driving in Las Vegas. Right. Zoox is already here. They're both on the show floor in West Hall. I mean, it's. We've talked about these things, and now they're really here.

[Matt Britton]

The future's here, so to speak.

[Melissa Harrison]

That's right. And I think this is the window into tomorrow, today. And so I think it's fun to be here and see all of these things and to also have seen the things over the last few years and say, I don't know if that's ever going to actually ever going to really happen. And then you're like, nope, it's here.

[Matt Britton]

It goes from concept to reality.

[Melissa Harrison]

That's right. That's right.

[Matt Britton]

So it's interesting because you brought up the pandemic, and obviously, one thing the pandemic brought to society and especially the business world is this whole remote culture.

[Melissa Harrison]

Right.

[Matt Britton]

A lot of companies are remote. A lot of people are using Zoom to communicate, but there is still such power in human connection convening. And I would just love to hear your thoughts on why you think this is a business and an event that will stand the test of time.

[Melissa Harrison]

Based upon that, thank you for saying that. I will tell you that for all of the running across halls that I've seen people doing when they see their friend that they haven't seen all year, but this is the one place where they see them or their. Or their business partner, et cetera, you cannot replace the serendipity of bumping into someone on the show floor and having a conversation, or even the conversation you.

[Matt Britton]

And I are having now. Like, we do a lot of these podcasts over Zoom, but you have a connection. The interviews better, but you get. You really feel like, you know, Somebody.

[Melissa Harrison]

That's right. I mean, you're looking at 29 meetings on average that our exhibitors are having.

[Matt Britton]

Wow.

[Melissa Harrison]

Right. When you think about what it would take to fly all over the world to do all of those meetings or all the time it would take on zoom, Zoom is great. It's also a tiny little box. If you're trying to make a business deal, it's hard to tell emotion, it's hard to understand. Is there the person still here? Is the dog barking? You know, did the mailman come? What's happening? I just think you can't replace that human to human interaction. And CS brings all of that together. And we've really tried to build community. So we're here at C Space. Right. That's a community. But we also have the different categories across the show floor and people are able. You know, our digital health community continues to grow and grow and you come here and it's your one chance to catch up with the other doctor who lives across the country. Right, right. It's just, you can't. You just can't replace that in person.

[Matt Britton]

Yeah. And what you meant. I'm glad you brought up digital health because the power of AI is it's going to seep its way every industry, every sector, which then brings those sectors.

[Melissa Harrison]

Right.

[Matt Britton]

So we, whether it's construction, it doesn't really matter what it is. Right.

[Melissa Harrison]

So we made a strategic decision last year. We moved our whole health category to the Venetian because that's where the smart home category is.

[Matt Britton]

Right.

[Melissa Harrison]

And there is a direct connection between digital health and monitoring and keeping people in the home longer.

[Matt Britton]

Interesting.

[Melissa Harrison]

And being in your home. And remote monitoring to ensure that after you get out of the hospital, they can monitor you at home so that you don't have to stay in the hospital or go to some type of recovery center. And hopefully you stay well. And if they notice anything that's wrong, they can catch it before you have to go back to the hospital. So there's just this direct connection between those. And so we were seeing that happening in real time in the industry and we said, okay, these need to be together, these two groups, they need to know each other and have conversations.

[Matt Britton]

That's fantastic.

[Melissa Harrison]

Yeah.

[Matt Britton]

So I would imagine that planning for 2027 CES and the day coming 26.

[Melissa Harrison]

I wish it were that easy. I was joking that half of my brain is 2026, but when I get here and the other half is 2027.

[Matt Britton]

So what can we expect to see as the show evolves?

[Melissa Harrison]

Right.

[Matt Britton]

You know, let's say we're near 2030. What is CES going to be like? Do you see the show being in other venues as well? Globally? I know you have sort of like these pop up side events that happen during the year, but what's the future in terms of the expansion of the show itself? Where's it headed?

[Melissa Harrison]

I think it's so interesting. I'm so bad at guessing the future, but I'm so proud of the work that our team does to ensure that the show is really great, that the show floor is really great, that we put a wonderful product forward for everyone who wants to be a part of ces. I'm excited because we just expanded to CES Foundry. So 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.

[Matt Britton]

Wow. I got to check that out.

[Melissa Harrison]

You got to go see it. I mean, 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. Yeah. But we're always looking at what's coming next. What categories should we be talking about? How do we put that forward in a meaningful way and how do we go to market with it, not only to attendees, but exhibitors. And so we're excited that we continue to find new ways to expand and grow in Las Vegas. And I don't know, I think the future is really bright, so who knows where you're going to see it for sure.

[Matt Britton]

So, to wrap up here, we always ask our guests if there's a saying or mantra that comes to mind that defines their career journey. And I would love to know what comes to mind for you during this busy week here in Vegas.

[Melissa Harrison]

Let me tell you, there are two things. So one, I want to say say yes, and that has a lot to do with my career. But also, ces, I think you have to be open to the possibility. 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.

[Matt Britton]

That's something that go to that event.

[Melissa Harrison]

Go to that event. Right. Like, even if you don't know anybody, I think that we've lost a little bit of that coming out of the pandemic. And so I just encourage everyone to say yes. The other is a quote from Eleanor Roosevelt. She said that the future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams. That's been a quote that I've kept near and dear to me my whole life, and I've really tried to impart upon the people that I work with that if you don't believe in the beauty of your dreams in the future, how do you make them happen? How do you really like? You've got to believe in yourself. You got to believe in the excitement and the beauty that you're building. And so I've always tried to lean into that and then share that with the people that I work with.

[Matt Britton]

It's amazing. Well, there's a lot of excitement and beauty in what we're seeing here at ces.

[Melissa Harrison]

That's right.

[Matt Britton]

So thankful for you to take the time during this busy week to to share the incredible story behind CES with all of us.

[Melissa Harrison]

Thank you so much for having me and I hope you have a great show.

[Matt Britton]

Oh, I will. Thanks so much. On behalf of Susie and adwee team, thank you again to Melissa Harrison, Vice President of Marketing and Communications at the Consumer Technology association, producers of the CES show, which we're here in Las Vegas to check out. Be sure to subscribe rate review to Speed of Culture Podcast on your favorite podcast platform and we'll see you soon. Take care, everyone. Bye bye. The Speed of Culture is brought to you by Suzy as part of the Adweek Podcast Network and a guest Creator Network. You can listen subscribe to all Adweek's podcasts by visiting Adweek.com podcasts. To find out more about Susie, head to Susie.com and make sure to search for the Speed of Culture in Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or anywhere else podcasts are found. Click follow so you don't miss out on any future episodes? On behalf of the team here at Suzy, thanks for listening.

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