The Osaka prefectural government participated in the “2008 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES)," which was held from January 7th to the 10th in Las Vegas, in collaboration with JETRO Osaka. The government offered the use of its booth facilities to five Osaka businesses: CHUO ELECTRIC WORKS LTD., CONTEC Co., Ltd., NSJ. Co., Ltd., RayTron, INC. and Systec Akazawa Co. (Their URLs are listed at the foot).

With 2,700 exhibitors across the globe and about 150,000 visitors, it is the world's largest consumer-electronics and IT-related trade fair, which was first organized 40 years ago in New York. This exhibition has long been known as the venue for the world's leading consumer-electronics and information equipment makers like SONY Corporation and Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd., and they exhibited their new products, such as plasma TVs, and new technologies. In recent years, the exhibition has covered a wide range of IT-related fields, from up-to-date information appliance technology to wireless communication technology, including mobile electronic devices and vehicle-mounted instruments.

An Osaka exhibitor interviewed by a local TV reporter

Local TV Takes Up Osaka Exhibitors
The exhibition sites are Las Vegas Convention Center, Sands Expo & Convention Center, Venetian Tower and a hotel, and the “Osaka Booth" was located in the Sands Expo & Convention Center, a 10-minute drive from the Las Vegas Convention Center. The Sands Center was the venue for general IT-related fields such as wireless communication technologies, mobile electronic devices, robotics and others.

The Osaka exhibitors received 238 concrete business inquiries in four days. While smoothly conducting business negotiations that had been arranged in advance, the sophisticated and lovable movements of robots exhibited by an Osaka business took center stage and generated great excitement when they were introduced on a local TV program. The Osaka Pavilion turned into a beehive of activity during the show.

Osaka exhibitors having business talks with visitors

Visitors of Corporate Executives Facilitate Business Talks
Each year the CES is visited by a large number of people from diverse industries and professions that include makers, retailers, providers, the media and buyers. In particular, there were many visitors who were buyers and corporate executives with decision-making power. For this reason, once these visitors became interested in a particular product or technology, they immediately began negotiations and concluded tentative deals.

The CES is Most Effective in Sales Promotion
Some of the exhibitors commented that there were so many business visitors that they had no time to relax. This is proof that a large number of fruitful negotiations were held at the show. The CES has shown that it is an ideal venue to announce wide-ranging IT-related technologies. Its capacity to attract a huge turnout each year makes it the most appropriate venue to publicize one's innovative technology to the world.
Next CES will be held in Las Vegas, Nevada, January 8-11 2008.