Vegas Noise & Money

Everyone always seems so damn happy in Vegas, from the moment you land at the airport to the moment you leave. In a New York kinda way, EVERYONE is from SOMEWHERE ELSE. I waited in my hotel check in line with Japan, Florida, France, Korea, New York, Colorado, Toronto, Los Angeles, Washington, Finland, Spain, Oregon, the list goes on.

The week of long cab lines and vibrantly colored noise and chaos begins. It's the same week where hotel prices that are normally $100 soar to $400, trying to get from point A to point B becomes nothing less than daunting and software and hardware companies alike vy for attention.

New York Times Brad Stone and Damon Darlin write about the sheer costs of CES, particularly for a small technology company, the kind I typically represent. I like the partnership route, meaning let the big boy pay for the booth, tag along and offer something compelling and sexy. Both sides win.

The article is great as it specifically points to what it costs to play in the game in 2007. A few examples:

$24,500 for 700 square feet of booth space
$300-400 for hotel rooms
$1,000+ for a limo
$5,000-25,000 suites
$5,000-9,000 for mini media events
$1,195 for Internet access on the floor
$300 a day plus agency fees for a spokesmodel

Photo Credit: Top photographs by Jared McMillen for The New York Times; lower left, Rick Wilking/Reuters; lower right, David McNew/Getty Images

You get the idea. Having said that, there are ways to get around the astronomical costs by piggy-backing or joining others, booking rooms and flights well in advance, and eating & drinking at the numerous cocktail schmooze events and parties that are profilic throughout the week.