Record Number Of Industry Leaders Convene At CEA’s 11th Annual CEO Summit

More than 100 top executives from the consumer electronics (CE) industry addressed crucial business issues at the 11th annual Consumer Electronics CEO Summit held June 20-22 in Santa Barbara, California. Produced by the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA)®, the invitation-only event brought together executives from leading CE companies including Audiovox, Crutchfield, Panasonic, Sony, Philips, Myer Emco, Mitek and Thiel.
“The CEO Summit provides the most distinguished executives in consumer technology the opportunity to meet and network in a noncompetitive manner to address key industry issues,” said Gary Shapiro, president and CEO of CEA. “This is a popular CEA event among our top industry executives because it provides networking and educational opportunities in a fun and relaxed setting while addressing issues central to business success.”

The Summit began with a keynote by Gary Shapiro on public policy and major efforts the CE industry is undertaking to preserve its future. He focused on intellectual property, free trade, the DTV transition, the need for a national recycling standard and clear standards for measuring energy usage.

The environmental focus continued with, “Green will Change CE,” featuring Dave Sherman, Partner, Blu Skye Sustainability Consulting. Sherman explained how consumer interest in saving energy and recycling will soon transform businesses and what these changes mean for the CE industry.

A second morning session titled, “The Digital Future: The World Economic Forum’s Perspective on the Convergence Among IT, Telecom, Media & Entertainment,” was led by co- presenters Rick Webb, Co-Founder and COO, Barbarian Group and Alex Wong, Director, Center for Global Industries, World Economic Forum. These experts presented different scenarios for the future and generated several ideas on how the CE industry can plot its own destiny.

Day two of the CEO Summit kicked off with a morning keynote titled, “How Design Fits into the Evolving Digital World,” delivered by Darrel Rhea, CEO, Cheskin. Rhea explained how designing for consumers’ desires can help companies differentiate, display innovations and drive revenue.

CEA’s Shapiro moderated a Manufacturing Power Panel which included Ron Garriques, President, Global Consumer Group, Dell; Stan Glasgow, President & COO, Sony Electronics Inc.; Stewart Muller, President and CEO, Philips Consumer Electronics NA and Joseph M. Taylor, Executive Vice President & COO, Panasonic Corporation of North America. The panel discussed the importance of creating value through the distribution chain by focusing on product personalization, strong partnerships, simplicity and getting closer to consumer needs. They also stressed the importance of doing everything possible to educate the consumer on what the HDTV experience is all about. The panel also discussed the need for a national recycling standard.

The 2007 CEO Summit concluded with a closing keynote titled, “Competition, Perspective, Possibilities: Get a Jump on the New Trend Landscapes,”presented by Robyn Waters, President and Founder, RW Trend, LLC. During her keynote, Waters explored the dynamics behind what makes a trend, why trends can be seemingly contradictory and how to capitalize on the “next big thing.”

The 12th Annual CEO Summit is an invitation-only event scheduled for June 18-21, 2008, at Playa del Carmen, Mexico. To obtain information on next year’s CEO Summit, contact Lisa McKellar at CEA at (703) 907-7047 or e-mail: lmckellar@CE.org.