As a part of the consumer electronics industry we look forward to attending CES annually in fabulous Las Vegas, Nevada. CES has changed a lot over the years but the reason we attend remains the same, it’s our big opportunity to connect with other industry citizens and learn about our markets. We love getting face time with current clients and showing prospective clients how our GFD (great freakin’ data) can help them make smart business decisions. This year at CES we decided to up the ante by using our time for both work and play. After a long day of touring the CES show floor we opened up our very own 19th hole at Topgolf Las Vegas.
gap intelligence at CES
gap intelligence has attended CES since 2004. The first time CEO Gary Peterson attended the top tech trade show, he paid $19 for a room on Fremont Street at Binion’s Horseshoe. Peterson was on a tight budget so instead of checking his bag at CES he decided to pull his suitcase around the showroom floor with him. By the end of the day this was the equivalent of pulling the boulder from Indian Jones behind him. Our office has grown over the years. Gone are the days of Peterson attending solo; this year we had sixteen gappers in attendance.
The CES Blackout
Day one of CES 2018 brought its share of challenges due to a torrential downpour that lasted most of the day. While rain is inconvenient, CES continued on with only a few blips due to the weather. Day two will forever have a place in CES history because the Las Vegas Convention Center suffered a blackout that shut down its Central Hall (where MANY tech heavy hitters reside) for almost two full hours. Our team participated in nearly 40 meetings and averaged about 8 miles of walking daily despite the blackout. With 4,000 companies exhibiting, 1,200 speakers, and 184k visiting, an electronics show with no electricity caused quite the stir from tech media. Our very own CEO had some fun on Twitter connecting the irony to Journey’s ‘Lights'.
The 19th Hole
After surviving the rain and the blackout, there was only one thing left to do, parTee at Topgolf Las Vegas. We have often toyed with hosting an event for clients and friends of gap intelligence at CES. When planning a party there are many elements to think about. What was most important to us was hosting an event that encompassed our personality since we aren’t your average market research firm. When we found Topgolf, there was no question. It was the perfect venue because our guests would have a fun activity to enjoy along with the typical cocktail party fare.
Understanding how busy CES is, we positioned our event as the party our guest would attend before they had to head out to their evening meetings. The ten bays we booked were rocking with guests competing for our coveted gapCup trophy (congrats to Douglas Corbin for his big win). We gave our clients a taste of what we are all about while having some fun (our specialty). We are experts in our industries with a work hard/play hard mentality. A gaptastic time was had by all.
We had so much fun that we are already planning our event for next year’s CES. It’s not too early to request an invite at golf@gapintelligence.com. Come for the golf and the food but stay to learn what it means to be a gapper. We certainly hope you can swing it (golf pun intended).
P.S. Thank you to the incredible staff at Topgolf Las Vegas who made sure our event ran seamlessly. You are all offically honorary gappers.
