Economic Woes Don’t Damper CES Madness

Early indicators show diminished turnout, but lines remain, and we've yet to see whether the economic conditions will deeply affect this year's announcements.

The crowds may have subsided a bit this year, but the lines haven’t.

“7:30 and I’m already late,” the bearded CES vet behind me grumbled after seeing the line for Wednesday’s very first press conference from LG. It snaked out from the closed conference room doors and bent around on itself at least once prior to the doors opening. The festival of waiting that is CES is alive and well.

Inside, LG’s setup lacked none of the pomp from years past. Rows of LCDs flanked the stage, spotlights swooped across the ceiling and “Soul Man” boomed on the PA system. But more of the gold-trimmed red audience seats went unfilled than I could remember in years past.

This will be an interesting year for a trade show that makes conspicuous consumption its hallmark. Though it’s hard to tell at this point whether it will really end up as the grandiose bust that some analysts have predicted, it isn’t yet clear that tightening budgets and worsening economic conditions around the world will  dramatically direct the kind of announcements that are yet to come.