Certain manufacturers had told us ahead of time that the split-level rooms in the Venetian weren't suitable for their purposes. They'd be at the St. Tropez of T.H.E. Show instead.
No matter how you slice it, hi-end 2-channel audio is the least important segment of CES. Despite the very best efforts by the organizers to create a dedicated venue that's suitable for active demos, our interests at this event are really a fifth-wheel affair.
2007 saw the Alexis Park replaced by the Venetian, a more expensive if also more upscale venue that's further bedeviled -- for show purposes -- by a large-scale casino and overloaded elevators which can't be bypassed when many exhibits are on the 29th floor. One of the Alexis Park's attractions was not having to walk through or around a smoke-filled casino.
Far away from the lofty rooms of the Venetian Towers and located near ground level were the various so-called meeting rooms, located on three different levels. Some people never seemed to find all those meeting rooms. That was a major complaint. I talked to a number of manufacturers who vowed to not use one of those larger meeting rooms next year.
Traffic was extremely light when we toured, and we were told it had been that way throughout.... If CES maintains the Venetian as its high end venue, it will need to make considerable adjustments.
Singleness of Purpose at St. Tropez and Alexis Park
The previous CES events held at the Alexis Park and the adjoining T.H.E. Show were the equivalent of a safe and quiet gamble-free zone. There were the usual distractions associated with a hi-fi show, such as someone who's playing their music too loud. But that aside, there was a singleness of purpose at Alexis and T.H.E Show. Not the Venetian.
The music was notably subdued. I quickly realized the sound was coming from THE ROOM NEXT DOOR! The Ballrooms were all using partitions to separate the rooms from other exhibitors. Talk about an acoustic nightmare.
I think the CES, the Venetian and its managers, have a lot to learn in order to make this show the success it was at its previous site. From an ease of travel standpoint, it was a near disaster with access to the upper floors possible only through undersized and unmanned elevators. In terms of sheer atmosphere it will never match the Alexis Park's ease and poolside accommodations. This location totally lacked the level of accommodation that you felt the moment you walked either into the Alexis Park or T.H.E Show. The very fact that this was the first show away from Alexis Park, was bad enough. To make it virtually impossible to find your way is inexcusable.
I did not think I would miss the knee punishing concrete steps at Alexis Park but I was wrong. I would trade them any day for the long, smoky waits for an elevator in the Venetian. I truly miss the more relaxed atmosphere that was present at Alexis Park and the chance for some fresh air between rooms. That is why I enjoyed T.H.E. Show more than CES in 2007. That and the fact that T.H.E. Show organizers and staff went out of their way to make exhibitors and attendees feel welcome. Many thanks to them for a job well done. Fun People and Good Music.
I got lost a number of times trying to find my way around. I guess it could've been worse but T.H.E. Show remained at the St. Tropez Hotel, which was a good thing.
The room wasn't an ideal venue to obtain good sound. The walls weren't solid walls and sound was bleeding in from other rooms making it hard to listen accurately.
The conference rooms were certainly not the best places to demonstrate two channel audio, because the rooms were cavernous with really high ceilings and in some cases rooms were only separated by partitions.... Also the signage could have been improved because I almost missed an entire floor.
Unfortunately, access to the rooms is somewhat challenging. The room layouts are not clear and there is a long walk through the casino and the main floor of the hotel before one can reach the meeting rooms or the elevators to the upper floors.
CES: Bad Sound, Bad Parking, Bad Prices, Bad Attitude
The conference rooms with the sliding walls on the lower floors of the Venetian were horrible, with bloated bass due to the flexible walls, and mucho bleed-through from room to room. Neighboring exhibitors were forced to time-share.
A tremendous amount of walking was involved in seeing this show, and the parking structure turned out to be like something from an Escher drawing. The hotel charged the exhibitors usurious prices for food and drink (would you believe $60 for a dozen bagels?) and for moving furniture. Room rates were up significantly this year as well. The sound police were running around with SPL meters, harassing some exhibitors to keep it under 85dB.
And to top it all off, the contractual conditions were so unappealing to the many fine vendors of vinyl that all boycotted the show this year.
Mike Maloney and Richard Beers did another outstanding job with T.H.E. SHOW this year, providing a much more laid-back atmosphere, and an alternative to the expense and clamor of the Venetian. Exhibitors could bring in their own food and drink and move furniture around to their hearts' content.
There were many great-sounding rooms in the St. Tropez, although Mike wasn't allowed to use the large rooms this year, which was a shame.
The lunch, as always, was most enjoyable, held out on the grass under a sunny blue sky. That provided a chance to catch up with old friends and shoot the breeze in a relaxed atmosphere. Keep it coming, Mike and Richard ...you guys are doing a great job!
In addition to the change of the venue itself, draconian rules and regulations where placed upon the handling of the Venetian's furniture if the exhibitor opted for the rooms in the main tower. In addition to those rooms, CES also offered converted 'ballrooms' to exhibitors: those rooms were plagued by two rather important issues: first, abysmal foot traffic due to improper posting of venue signs; second, rather bad sound due to the fact that these large rooms where really only separated by razor thin wall boards.
The premier hosting at this new setting was, in my opinion, a wash. To top this all off, there was very little signage directing you toward those meeting room exhibits. Here, the CEA failed miserably. Moreover, the layout was so vast (remember, we are talking about roughly two million square feet), that finding things was more than just challenging. There were many rooms that I never got to or found… Damn shame, if you ask me.
To get to the majority of hotel room exhibits, we must negotiate about a quarter mile of hallway and casino to get from the shuttle stop to the elevators. The rooms themselves are nicely appointed, but several exhibitors are already complaining about the acoustics and the challenge of finding ways to make the two level suites music friendly.
Because of the great dissatisfaction, many specialty audio (high-end)
manufacturers and distributors have left the CES and joined
T.H.E. Show at the St. Tropez Hotel which is located next to the
CES' Alexis Park Hotel. In fact I find the St. Tropez venue to be better,
the show is more organized and it also has a added personal feeling to
it. Manufacturers told me that if they have any special needs, T.H.E.
Show personnel are quick to satisfy unlike the CES.
