What happens in Vegas gets blogged about in January… Extremely thrilled to announce that New Rising Media is making the trip out to cover CES for the first time ever. But this isn’t just any CES, it’s the 50th anniversary of this legendary technology show.

That’s right. The first Consumer Electronics show happened in New York City during June 1967 – at which, the emerging trends were pocket radios and integrated circuit TVs. 

Of course, technology has moved forward significantly since this time, but the one constant has always been CES as (in Gary Shapiro, president and CEO of Consumer Technology Association’s own words) “a proving ground for innovators.”

A select group of these will be celebrated. Specifically, 37 companies who have exhibited at CES for more than 40 years – ten of which were at the first CES. Names include Philips, Sony, Toshiba, Lenovo and Panasonic.

But of course, we’re not here for the past – but it’s crazy to think of the historical significance of consumer electronics. 

In the first week of January, there has always been a spike in website visitor traffic from our various musings about the latest technology releases and announcements at the show. But now, after five years of experiencing the show through live streams and other on-the-ground news sites, I’ve been given the incredible chance to go and experience this show first-hand.

So, what can you expect there? Well, the groundwork was laid at CES Paris, as we heard the consumer tech trends for next year. The show at Vegas will be the physical manifestation of these trends, as thousands of exhibitors - spanning AI, mobile, TV, robotics, self-driving cars and everything in between - populate the small city-sized convention space to present their latest gadgets.

As well as this, we’ll be covering plenty of keynotes, such as NVIDIA’s opener to CES, Qualcomm’s in-depth look at the future of 5G and Nissan’s glance to the future of transportation.

And, just like what you all expect from New Rising Media’s event coverage, expect plenty of hands-on videos with the biggest gadgets on the show floor, along with interviews and written pieces.

It’s still difficult to process this opportunity fully. This blog has been my hobby and passion, which has taken me to plenty of great shows in the past. But never in my wildest dreams did I expect to go to Las Vegas. I’ll do my best not to get too mushy at the bottom here, but three thank yous:

• Thank you to the Consumer Technology Association for taking a chance on me and my website.
• Thank you to my Grandad. Passing away with pancreatic cancer at the age of 10, I made a promise to do him proud in my work and my passions. Without his memory motivating me, none of this would have been possible.
• (I do this every time) Thank you to each and every one of you. Without your continued support in reading articles that me and the team produce, New Rising Media would cease to exist. 

2016 has been a weird year, but 2017 is definitely off to a good start with CES. See you all in January.