They’re dropping like flies at this year’s CES, the annual Consumer Electronics Show held annually in Las Vegas. Writers from major tech blogs like TechCrunch, Gizmodo, and Business Insider have all reported intense CES fatigue.

TechCrunch: CES is overwhelmingly large

Meanwhile, the show floor itself has evolved (or, really, devolved) into something so mammoth that it would be literally impossible to see all (or even most) of it. It takes up not one, not two, but three separate multi-million square foot halls… and even then, it spills out into ballrooms and side venues all over Vegas. 

(Read more at “CES: A Wonderful Example of Not Knowing When to Stop”)

Gizmodo’s Mat Honan goes Ballardian on scene

I fantasize that I am the only one here, in a post-apocalyptic trade show. Alone among these elaborate booths. Free to scamper up on top of them. Free to grab what I want, and actually play with it, like a child. I want to see it all catch fire. I want to pour gasoline in the ducts and light a long fuse, and watch from the street as it burns and burns and burns. My guess is that the flames would be quite beautiful, colored by chemical washes and treated glass. My hangover is killing me.

(Read more at “Fever Dream of a Guilt-Ridden Gadget Reporter”)

For another view into the show and why covering it in the press is such a draining experience, try Steve Kovach’s “One Day in the Life of a Tech Blogger at CES” published by Business Insider. 

Is money spent on CES worth it for brands?

Given the saturation of vendors, advertisements, and products at CES, does the conference generate a real return on the investment? Are brand awareness dollars better spent elsewhere than CES, or is the conference now simply a check-the-box expense for gadget manufacturers?