I Started a Tech PR Firm Centered Around CES. Here’s My Advice.
CES is a trade show that builds technology PR people. It is a proving ground. It will test your preparation, your stamina, your judgment, and your ability to read a room faster than you think is fair. If you want to work in this business and do it well, this is what I would tell you.
First, dig in.
Do not float through CES. Commit to it. Say ‘yes’ to the early mornings and the late nights. Take the meetings that feel slightly out of reach. Stand longer than is comfortable. Listen more than you talk. This is not the week to conserve energy.
Meet everyone you can.
Not just the obvious people. Not just the ones with titles you recognize. Meet assistants, junior producers, founders who look terrified, and veterans who look bored. Remember names. Remember faces. Write things down if you have to. This industry is smaller than it looks, and memory is a form of respect.
Look professional. Always.
Believe the old advice. Dress for the job you want. CES is chaotic. Don’t be the chaos. You are representing your client and yourself at the same time. Press your clothes so you do not look like you slept in them, or even better: wear clothes that don’t wrinkle. Rayon is your friend. Wear shoes in which you can comfortably walk miles, but do not wear sneakers or Crocs. Ever. Comfort should never come at the expense of credibility.
Know how to host.
Learn how to read a wine list. Learn how to order for a table. Learn how to pace a meal so the conversation matters more than the food. Taking people out is part of the job, and doing it well is a skill. World class meals and stunning wine are not indulgences: When used thoughtfully, they are tools. I have closed MANY a client deal over a Vegas meal.
Learn how to survive the days.
You will not sleep much. Accept that. Eat while walking to the show. Sit outside the third floor ladies’ lounge and eat a package of nuts, a bar, and down a bottle of something that has electrolytes. Eat at dinner, even if it is late; it might be your only sit-down meal. Hunger makes you hangry and hangry gets noticed, but so does sitting down in a client booth to eat a sandwich. They’re both sloppy, so don’t do either. Hydrate. Carry snacks. This is logistics.
Know your client cold.
Memorize the sound bites. Not generally, precisely. You should be able to explain the value in one sentence, then adjust it depending on who is listening. If someone asks a question in an elevator, you should not need to think. Hesitation reads as uncertainty.
Pay attention to how people react.
CES teaches you quickly what lands and what does not. Watch body language. Notice when eyes glaze over. Learn when to pivot.
Impress everyone you can.
Be prepared. Be calm. Be useful. Be gracious under pressure. People remember how you made things easier for them far longer than they remember what you said.
I was 23 when I went to my first CES. I was 28 when I went to CES as Caster. I remember every win, but I remember every mistake even more. Everything is a learning moment, and every relationship can last a lifetime. I met people through work who are still the friends I talk to today. I met my husband. And funny enough, so did my EVP Alex Crabb. CES is about relationships. Go and make them – and yes, wear comfy shoes and take Tylenol while doing it.
