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3 Things CES 2027 Exhibitors Should Know Before They Build Their Booth

ces 2027

CES 2027 runs January 6–9 in Las Vegas. That’s about nine weeks away, which means most booth decisions get locked in the next few weeks.

This year’s show also looks different from any CES before it. Two exhibitors that have been there since the very first show are sitting it out. Big brands keep moving their stories off the show floor and across the city. And the organizers have added an award category that rewards immersive technology done well.

Here are three things every CES 2027 exhibitor should know, what each one means for your booth, and how to turn them into more traffic, better conversations, and more qualified leads.

1. The biggest names are leaving the floor, so attention is up for grabs

Sony won’t exhibit at CES 2027. Neither Sony Group nor any of its affiliates plans to be there, which ends a run that goes back to the first CES in 1967. Panasonic, another exhibitor since 1967, is skipping 2027 too. Samsung already moved off the traditional show floor at CES 2026.

These brands used to anchor the halls. Attendees planned their routes around them. Without those anchors, foot traffic gets spread across the floor and goes to whoever gives people a reason to stop.

What it means for your booth: You don’t need the biggest footprint to win the aisle. You need the most magnetic moment in it. A mid-size booth with something people want to do will out-draw a bigger booth full of products people can only look at.

How to act on it:

  • Build one “stop-and-play” anchor. Choose a single interactive centerpiece that people can see from 30 feet away and understand in three seconds. A giant interactive reaction wall works well here, because the game draws a crowd and the crowd draws more people.
  • Make it competitive. A live leaderboard keeps people around longer and brings them back the next day to beat their score.
  • Keep each turn short. At CES, 60 to 90 seconds of play is about right. Longer than that and the line stalls.

2. CES is now a citywide event, so your booth has to work beyond its walls

CES now happens across all of Las Vegas, not just inside the convention center. Lenovo is returning to Sphere for its second straight keynote. Other brands are booking restaurant takeovers, hotel suites, and private demo spaces off the Strip. Attendees split their days among the LVCC, the Venetian Expo, and dozens of off-site events.

So your booth is competing for attendees’ limited time across the whole city, not just against the booth next door. A visitor who spends four minutes with you may not come back. What they leave with matters as much as what they experience.

What it means for your booth: Every interaction should create something that outlasts the visit, such as a captured lead, a shared post, or a reason to follow up.

How to act on it:

  • Capture data inside the experience. Put a quick badge scan or a two-question form into the game’s sign-up flow, so collecting leads doesn’t feel like a separate chore. Our guide to trade show lead generation covers how to do this without slowing the line.
  • Give people something to share. Instant photo, video, or score cards that attendees send to their own phones keep your brand in their feeds long after they’ve left your booth.
  • Plan for Vegas specifically. Venue rules, union labor, and power and rigging limits shape what’s possible at the LVCC. Our Las Vegas trade show booth ideas break down what works on this floor.

3. Immersive tech is being judged now, not just displayed

In July 2026, the Consumer Technology Association added a new CES Innovation Awards category, Art Tech, in partnership with Christie’s. It recognizes technology that changes how art and culture are created and experienced. The qualifying rule is the important part: technology has to be the core differentiator, not just a way to deliver content.

The award is aimed at creative technology companies, but the standard is a useful test for any booth. CES attendees have seen every kind of screen. A big LED wall playing a sizzle reel is no longer enough. The experiences that get people talking are the ones where the technology is the experience.

What it means for your booth: Immersive tech should do something a video can’t. It should respond to the visitor, put them in the story, or make something personal for them.

How to act on it:

  • Make it responsive. Motion tracking, AR, and touch let visitors’ movements shape what happens on screen, so no two people get the same experience.
  • Use AI with guardrails. Generative AI portraits and personalized content are crowd-pleasers, but only if the output stays on brand. Brand-controlled AI experiences let you offer that creativity without worrying about what shows up on screen.
  • Tie the wow back to the product. The best activations make your product’s value obvious in the first ten seconds of play.

Your 9-week CES 2027 booth checklist

Nine weeks is enough time to build a custom interactive experience if you start now. Here’s how to use it:

  1. Weeks 9–8: Set the goal. Decide what success looks like, whether that’s leads, demos, meetings booked, or social reach. Run your numbers through our trade show ROI calculator so the budget matches the goal.
  2. Weeks 8–7: Choose the anchor experience. Pick one interactive centerpiece and the product message it needs to deliver.
  3. Weeks 7–4: Build and brand it. Customize the game, graphics, and data-capture flow. Lock your hardware, power, and space requirements with your booth builder.
  4. Weeks 4–2: Test with real people. Time each turn, check how well the line flows, and confirm leads sync to your CRM.
  5. Weeks 2–1: Ship and stage it. Account for freight deadlines and show-floor move-in rules.
  6. Show week: Run it and watch the numbers. Track plays, leads, and shares daily, and adjust prizes or messaging as you go.
  7. The week after: Follow up fast. Send leads their photos, scores, or content within 48 hours, while the visit is still fresh.

Make your CES 2027 booth the one people talk about

The empty space on the CES 2027 floor is an opening for brands ready to use it. Exhibitors who win this year won’t necessarily have the most square footage. They’ll have the most compelling reason to stop, play, and share.

Elation Digital designs and builds custom interactive games, AI photo experiences, and immersive activations for trade shows across the country, with built-in lead capture and real-time analytics. Whether you need one standout centerpiece or a full booth experience, we can get it built, branded, and on the floor before January 6.

Ready to stand out at CES 2027? Contact Elation Digital today to start planning your booth experience.