The crowd at CES. (Flickr, CC0)

From January 9-12, 2018, the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) annual convention took place in Las Vegas.

CES,  a technology-oriented event, features products and trade ideas from the biggest tech companies from around the world, except Apple, which has its own mini-CES: WWDC.) 

CES showcases the latest creations in entertainment, automotives, health and wellness, home and family, the internet of things, product design and manufacturing, robotics and artificial intelligence, sports, and startups in multiple types of conferences.

To attend these conferences, viewers have to buy passes, and the price for the more privileged passes are not cheap. 

While the Exhibits Plus Pass is free and allows access to all exhibits and free conferences, including Keynote conferences and SuperSessions, the Starter Conference Pass is $900. 

The $1,700. Deluxe Conference Pass allows access to all conferences save three, which require separate registration.

It’s easy to tell that CES is a big event just by looking at the cost of the passes and the number of participants. In CES 2017, over one thousand speakers and around four thousand companies exhibited their wares and projections. A whopping 184,000 people attended, with about a third of them being international.

Although CES lasts for a few days, a number of its features could soon affect our lives in a positive way.