2013 Holiday Sales Forecast, CE Hall of Fame Dinner and CEA Market Research Highlight Successful 2013 CEA Industry Forum

Arlington, VA – More than 300 attendees from top technology companies gathered at the 2013 CEA Industry Forum this week in Los Angeles. Keynote addresses by Chris Cookson, president, Sony Pictures Technologies; Dale Dougherty, founder, MAKE magazine and Marker Faires; and Robert Scoble, liaison officer, Rackspace, American blogger, technology evangelist and author, highlighted the event, along with the CE Hall of Fame Dinner and a variety of market research announcements from the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA)®. Designed to connect and inform leaders in the consumer electronics industry and showcase the latest innovations that are trending, disrupting and impacting the way we do business, the 2013 CEA Industry Forum ran through October 23, at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza in Los Angeles.

“Focusing specifically on the intersection of technology and content, disruptive technology, and research, this year’s Industry Forum was bursting with dynamic panel discussions, progressive speakers and thought-provoking educational sessions,” said Gary Shapiro, president and CEO, CEA. “The event brought the industry together and highlighted the latest innovations in consumer technology, from the startup community to new product categories such as 3D printing and Ultra HD.”

Industry Forum began on Sunday, October 20, with CEA’s Leadership Development Workshop, Step Up, Give Back, Get More: Demystifying and Capitalizing from CEA Leadership Opportunities. Guest speaker Joe Theismann, world champion quarterback, broadcaster and entrepreneur, kicked off the session with a focus on how to manage teams for success. The discussion continued with a panel showcasing how to be a successful volunteer.

Monday morning, October 21, began with a panel discussion on Five Technologies to Watch. Industry experts and CEA analysts provided a glimpse into the five technology trends to watch over the next two to five years that will shape the technology industry. This year’s technologies to watch included the Internet of Things (IoT), driverless cars, digital health care, robotics and the future of video distribution and consumption.

Dale Dougherty served as the keynote speaker at the Monday luncheon. Dougherty discussed how anyone can be a maker and how trends like 3D printing are fueling the maker movement and making it more widespread and accessible.

On Tuesday morning, CEA analysts unveiled CEA’s 20th Annual CE Holiday Purchase Patterns Study at the popular Holiday Sales and Forecast presentation. Shawn DuBravac, chief economist and senior director of research, CEA, and Steve Koenig, director, industry analysis, CEA, announced research findings key to the holiday season. DuBravac and Koenig predicted that consumer electronics spending will rise 2.6 percent this holiday season, down from four percent growth in 2012. They told attendees that tablets will top CE gift wish lists this year for adults, and video game consoles for teens.

During the CEA Annual Member Meeting luncheon on Tuesday, Shapiro highlighted CEA government affairs activities, industry research, and technology and standards achievements, and discussed what’s new at the upcoming International CES®. He announced that Sony CEO Kazai Harai will deliver an opening Tech Titans keynote at the 2014 CES, scheduled for 8:30 a.m., Tuesday, January 7, at The Venetian. Best Buy, Dell, HP and Samsung received eCycling Leadership Awards. Healthcare innovator HealthSpot and serial consumer technology entrepreneur Bruce Borenstein were named Innovation Entrepreneur Award winners. CEA also elected its new slate of Executive Board and Board of Industry Leaders members during the luncheon.

The session concluded with a keynote address from Robert Scoble, who explained how the trends of always-on mobile devices, big data, location databases, economical sensors and social data, are mixing together to create new types of products that are personalized, contextual, anticipatory and assistive. Scoble told attendees, “There will be tradeoffs to the benefits these new technologies are bringing, namely a loss of privacy, but the benefits, to me, outweigh the costs. I’m all in.”

On Tuesday afternoon, Start Me Up – The Future of CE, featured a panel of CE leaders examiningthe future of the CE industry with top tech venture capitalists, who discussed how crowdsourcing, crowdfunding and 3D printing (for prototypes) are lowering the barrier to entry for entrepreneurs and allowing the market to help dictate what products get made. 3D Printing – Prototyping a New Industry featured a discussion about the positive and negative implications of the rapid prototyping and manufacturing made possible by this exciting new technology.

The 14th annual Consumer Electronics Hall of Fame induction ceremony closed day two of CEA’s Industry Forum. The CE Hall of Fame honors consumer electronics industry leaders who have shaped the advancement of innovation. Among this year’s inductees were corporate executives, engineers, retailers and journalists who cover the industry. This year, 15 consumer electronics pioneers were honored for their contributions. A list of all the inductees can be found here.

Wednesday showcased a luncheon keynote from Chris Cookson, president, Sony Pictures Technologies, on preparing for the Ultra High-Definition future. Cookson told attendees that the home entertainment industry need only look to the past and present of theaters and television to see a bright future for 4K, or Ultra HD.

For additional information on the 2013 CEA Industry Forum, please visit CE.org/Events-and-Awards/Events/2013/2013-CEA-Industry-Forum.


About CEA

The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) is the preeminent technology trade association representing the $203 billion U.S. consumer electronics industry. More than 2,000 companies enjoy the benefits of CEA membership, including legislative advocacy, market research, technical training and education, industry promotion, standards development and the fostering of business and strategic relationships. CEA also owns and produces the International CES – The Global Stage for Innovation. All profits from CES are reinvested into CEA’s industry services. Follow CES online at www.CESweb.org