CES & SXSW and Their Impact on Technology: A Look at These Groundbreaking Conferences

When you find yourself eternally on the prowl for the latest advances in business and consumer technology, it’s time to become a badge holder to one of the two largest tech conferences in the U.S. The Consumer Electronics Show (CES) takes place every January in Las Vegas, and South by Southwest (SXSW) is held in Austin, Texas, every March (this one is going on right now through March 22, so get moving if you want to catch the tail end of it). Both conferences have influence on new technology and product releases. Both feature breaking trends and hands-on engagement. Both enable you to network and form new relationships, and both make business more fun.

CES

CES is the breeding ground for startups. It’s the largest show in North America with over 3,500 exhibitors covering two million square feet of exhibit space. This is where the world's gathers to see how the next generation of tech geeks are fiddling with the future. This massive trade show is about product education, interactive workshops and seminars. Several next-level tech innovations (aka jaw droppers) are unveiled at CES.

SXSW Interactive

The SXSW festival marries music, film and technology into one very busy city of Austin (see infographic). This is the breeding ground for creatives and a place to foster business relationships. The Interactive portion is CES’s younger brother — a little hipper, but smaller and more oddball. Interactive festival director Hugh Forrest describes SXSW as a show about nothing. “In fact, SXSW is actually about dozens and dozens of things, but with no central-organizing principal. It's smart, peripatetic and unruly. To experience it, you have to absorb every sight and sound that's coming at you and move fast to find the spot in that one oddball panel featuring a surprising guest speaker or unexpected bit of news.”

Impact (CES)

Not just an electronics show, CES is an evolution of behavior. Automation, personal data collection and connected devices are getting closer to mainstream adoption. Last year, driverless cars were barely a thing at the CES and this year, they were a main focal point. These three trends were seen at both shows, but CES is on an entirely different level due to the enormity of the players and size of the conference.

Impact (SXSW)

Last year's SXSW saw a lot of interest in innovation and trends within the transportation sector. Participation from startups and the international community increased, and the Interactive saw many of the same robotics, data sharing and delivery on demand highlights like the CES. There is an enormous impact on the growing brand of the City of Austin as the festival invites locals to interact with badge holders at free events and workshops around town. This year, Forrest welcomed anyone to spend time immersing in gaming culture at the SXSW Gaming Expo (open and free to the public).

Highlights of Products Unveiled

CES: The Internet of Things Council explains IoT as “a layer of digital connectivity on top of existing infrastructure and thing.” Data is taken from your actions and transfers the unique identifiers over a network connected to devices such as those in your home, car or work. This is the future we see in films happening before our eyes.

SXSW: Even though 3D printing was a main player at the CES convention, the SXSW has a slight edge because it is a music, film, art and tech festival, 3D print enthusiasts could choose from 25 sessions focused on the ever-emerging and fascinating technology of 3D printing that spans industries such as film, fashion, art, healthcare, automotive and food.

CES: Usable business tech includes new laptop designs, faster solid state drives, better removable hard drive technologies, new generation curved monitors, higher resolution monitors (including 5K), upgraded docking stations and improved scanners, according to the Sleeter Report.

CES: Most of the wearable tech focused on fitness tracking. Everyone is just waiting for Apple to perfect the iWatch before they get crazy trying to imitate it.

SXSW: Apps have been the heartbeat of the SXSW Interactive in the past (Twitter and Foursquare launched here). This year was no different. The Meerkat app offers a live streaming video service that allows you to instantly broadcast live video from your smartphone. Check your Twitter feed and you will find hundreds of #Meerkat tweets from the festival.

CES: Startups have always gravitated toward CES to showcase their product/business considering the opportunities available. SXSW, however, has doubled the amount of space allotted to startups (Startup Village) compared to 2014. But CES still wins this battle.

SXSW: Social media in general is a huge part of the culturally diverse festival of young entrepreneurs looking to learn innovations in technology but also embrace the spirit of life through experience. People will jump on any new app that allows for immediate connection to their social network.