Blog

Vehicle Technology Suppliers Need These 7 Tips to Crush PR at CES 2025

Daunting. Overwhelming. Hypercompetitive. Exhausting. Career-making or breaking.

That’s how PR and marketing executives describe trying to conduct media relations at what is arguably the world’s largest and most important trade show – CES^®.

With registration having just opened for the most powerful tech event in the world, next January’s CES promises a bigger and better venue than ever for automotive, vehicle and mobility tech suppliers.

CES 2025 – the largest in-person independently audited tech event in the world – continues to grow and is tracking to beat the 2024 version of the show in attendance, media representatives and exhibitors.

And that growth also pertains to the vehicle technology and advanced mobility segment of the annual show.

While many of the legacy consumer-facing auto shows around the globe have lost some of their luster with the industry and media, CES continues to grow in importance and relevance for vehicle manufacturers, component suppliers and mobility tech providers.

In fact, respected veteran auto journalist and analyst John McElroy calls CES the world’s best auto technology show.

The 2025 version of the event, which is slated for January 7 – 10 (January 5 – 10, if you include the two media days) will build upon that status.

CES 2025 POSITIONED FOR GROWTH

With a new CTA president, an organizational rebrand and new excitement about future mobility, CES 2025 is expected to surpass CES 2024 in terms of total exhibit space and exhibitors.

“CES is the place for the technology industry to dive in on business and technology trends, with thousands of exhibitors across the show floor and the average executive hosting nearly 30 meetings in Las Vegas,” said Kinsey Fabrizio, president, CTA. “We are expanding our show floor across new venues and can’t wait to welcome exhibitors and attendees from around the world to Las Vegas for the innovation and collaboration that we see at CES each year.”  

Of course, vehicle technology and advanced mobility rank among the top technology categories at the event, with the Las Vegas Convention Center (LVCC) West Hall completely filled with the latest vehicle tech exhibits, spilling outside to the adjacent West Plaza, where additional automotive displays, autonomous driving and ADAS demonstrations will be hosted by some of the world’s top mobility technology innovators.

And a new Mobility Stage in West Hall will introduce programming from thought leaders that captures the future of mobility and how we can pave the way for a more sustainable and connected world. 

Automotive News has called the show “the world’s most significant auto show …” noting that “… CES is more about the future of technology than the present business of selling cars.”

So, if your company is helping to shape the future of mobility, with vehicle technology that will help bring a smarter, safer, cleaner or comfortable driving experience, CES 2025 may be the perfect venue for you to shine.

No other conference or expo in the world draws such a powerful and unique mix of forward-thinking, tech-oriented automotive, vehicle and mobility technology executives, auto journalists and reporters, influencers, and industry analysts as CES does. For registration info, click here.

CES 2024 – THE REAL DATA

While CES has not yet returned in the post-COVID era to the record 180,000 attendees it enjoyed in 2019 (will 2025 become the new record year?), audited third-party data indicates the 2024 version of the event had:

• 138,789 attendees (up nearly 20% over CES 2023)
• 3,500+ exhibitors – including more than 300 in the vehicle technology and advanced mobility space
• 5,355 journalists and reporters from 76 countries around the world, producing some hundreds of thousands of news stories
• Global reach of social media mentions of more than 28.5 billion

To see the CES 2024 audited data, click here.

Based on its trajectory, CES 2025 again promises to be an excellent opportunity for vehicle technology and advanced mobility suppliers to showcase their wares.

Show attendees will be able to see tech exhibitors from around the world there, displaying and demonstrating some of the latest advanced software, sensor and service innovations which are enabling the key trends driving the mobility space: connected cars, autonomous driving, automated driving (ADAS) systems, electric vehicles, shared mobility and smart urban vehicles.

Running the gamut from American Axle & Manufacturing to Zoox, among the automotive mobility companies that will be exhibiting at CES 2025 are Bosch, Caterpillar, Continental, Denso, Eaton, Goodyear, Magna, Mahle and Valeo – to identify just a few of the more well-known exhibitors.

AUTOMOTIVE SHOW INSIDE A TECH SHOW

CES was launched more than 50 years ago as the Consumer Electronics Show. Back then, it brought together some 250 exhibitors, which included companies like LG, Motorola and Phillips, who were focused on consumer electronic products like TVs and radios.

Since then, though the show’s focus – and name (which changed from the Consumer Electronics Show to CES in a nod to technology’s expansion into all product sectors) – continues to evolve and expand in both size and scope.

With electronics and software having become a part of every industry sector and aspect of our modern life, vehicles are no exception, with today’s cars and trucks often considered by some as “smartphones on wheels.”

Some 372 (as of Sept. 15, 2024) vehicle technology and advanced mobility companies have already signed up to exhibit at CES 2025. That’s an increase of almost 18% over this time last year. And more are likely to jump aboard this juggernaut before January.

So, whether your company is a long-established legacy global manufacturer, a new entrant or a vehicle tech start-up, if you are considering participating in CES 2025, here are some insights you need to know that can help you maximize the PR value of your time there:

1. CES is, by far, among the best venues for vehicle technology companies to demonstrate their wares. Many vehicles manufacturers, and literally hundreds of companies that provide advanced vehicle technologies – ranging from small, new start-ups from Silicon Valley, Israel and other mobility innovation hotspots to major top-tier suppliers like Bosch, Eaton, Magna, and Valeo – will be there.

At CES 2024, EVs and related charging technologies, and lidar for ADAS, were among the more well-represented vehicle technologies. For 2025, you can expect other technologies that help to make vehicles safer, smarter, greener, more convenient, more efficient and more economical are expected.

This will include products for connected cars and vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, software-defined vehicles, autonomous driving and ADAS, electric vehicles and charging, and much more.

Those interested in exhibiting should visit: https://www.ces.tech/exhibit/exhibitor-overview/.

2. CES provides a unique ‘show-within-a-show’ for automotive and vehicle technology. Again in 2025, with most of the vehicle technology exhibits concentrated at LVCC’s West Hall and the adjacent West Plaza, attendees will have a convenient one-stop shop for all things related to automotive mobility – literally saving them miles of aisle-walking!

Vehicle technology and advanced mobility exhibitors are expected to account for more than 20 percent of all CES exhibitors and cover more than 10 percent of the show’s millions of square feet of exhibit space.

3. CES attracts a large contingent of new mobility and automotive tech startups. As automakers and tier one suppliers continue to invest billions of dollars to support and advance ADAS, autonomous, connected cars, EVs and software-defined vehicles, they’re seeking to partner with start-ups who often bring a new approach to help them succeed.

These start-ups will hail from all around the world, and they are anxious to demonstrate their innovations in such product areas as cameras and sensors, LiDAR, radar, facial recognition, V2X, IoT, software-defined architecture and other enabling technologies that will advance and enhance future mobility.

There is no question that CES is a major crossroad and gathering place for these start-ups. And there is no better place for auto industry insiders to connect with them to initiate discussions and perhaps develop new working partnerships.

4. Many traditional automotive suppliers leverage CES. The number of large global auto suppliers – especially the tier one suppliers – that participate in CES had steadily increased over the years, as they see the value in positioning themselves among the tech leaders.

This trend will continue, as these “old-line” companies continue to transform themselves, evolve to meet the new challenges and expand their product lines to offer advanced technologies for tomorrow’s vehicles – in support of emerging electric, software-defined, connected, automated, smart and shared vehicles.

5. CES is the place where mobility and vehicle technology thought leaders share their views. In addition to the many exhibits and vehicle demonstrations, CES 2025 will convene hundreds, if not thousands, of thought leaders – all involved in the technology space to willingly share their vision, insight and wisdom through various presentations, talks and panels held throughout CES week.

Among them will be executives from top vehicle manufacturers, start-up companies, automotive suppliers, government, research firms, industry associations, think-tanks, and other influencers – all coming together to offer their perspectives and encourage dialogue on a broad spectrum of mobility topics and issues.

For example, the cutting-edge CES Connect2Car sessions – the longest running panel series at CES – is hosted by the Mobile Electronics Association and its partners SAE International, COVESA and MEMA. The conference explored the future of connected mobility through six sessions that covered key areas of connected-vehicle technology over two days.

6. Competition for media attention at CES is intense. Yes, it’s true that some 5,000 journalists will attend CES 2025. But it’s also true that vehicle technology suppliers cannot expect to automatically secure media attention at the show. There’s just too much going on, too much to see, too much competition and too little time for reporters to cover more than a fraction of what they’d like to.

Most reporters that attend the show work for general or consumer-oriented media – so their focus is going to be concentrated on electronics products for the typical consumer – such as high-definition TVs, smart appliances, home systems and virtual reality products. Not the technologies that go into vehicles.

Even in the best years, fewer than 300 of the 6,500+ journalists that attended CES actually covered the vehicle technology space – that’s less than 5 percent. So, if you extrapolate that percentage to the 5,400 reporters expected in 2025, that means there might be 270 media that might potentially be interested in your news … IF they have time.

This year, CTA says it will create a new working space for storytellers like content creators and media who are integral in sharing innovations from technology companies. The area will include the tools and workspaces to produce compelling content for many platforms and forge meaningful connections with exhibitors. 

This may help, but most of these reporters will still be tied up with back-to-back press conferences for two solid days, as they participate in the major automaker and top-tier auto supplier press conferences that are usually held on the pre-show Media Days.

This action-packed, intensive schedule of back-to-back (and sometimes even overlapping!) news conferences allow little time for reporters to even try to cover the 300+ other vehicle technology suppliers who seek attention.

So, to secure any media attention at CES, you will need a great story, a compelling pitch, great timing, lots of preparation, an experienced PR partner … and a little luck.

7. If you haven’t started yet, you’re behind. Your competitors have already started their PR planning. And with each passing day before you start laying the PR groundwork, you allow more of your options and opportunities to slip through your fingers.

If you really want to rise above the thousands of other exhibitors at CES 2025, you need to accelerate now to develop your PR strategy, build out your PR action plan, and begin executing. The holidays will be here before you know it.

Of course, if you need help to get your PR efforts in gear, rely on a PR agency that has been there and done that – and has extensive experience in helping automotive suppliers shine at CES. (We can offer some help here!)

One final note: Since COVID, travel has become even more problematic. So, we suggest you embrace your inner Zen and give yourself extra grace and travel time during CES.

The airport, airlines, hotels and rideshare companies – they are all short-staffed. And when you add another 140,000 people to that Las Vegas scenario during CES, you can expect almost everything will be overtaxed and overwhelmed – meaning getting around will take much longer than you might expect.

During peak times, you should be prepared to face long lines and longer waits for shuttle buses, monorail cars, taxis and Uber or Lyft drivers. We suggest allowing an extra cushion of 30-60 minutes for the runs between your hotel and the LVCC exhibit halls to prevent being late for any important activities.

To learn more about CES 2025, visit CES.tech. And for more insight on scoring the best PR at CES 2025, email me at jbianchi@bianchipr.com or call us at +1 248.269.1122.

You might also be interested in:

• CES 2025: Six PR Facts Vehicle Technology Suppliers Need to Know
• Automotive Suppliers: Will These Mistakes Crash Your CES 2025 PR?
  CES 2025: Expert Tips to Ensure Mobility Supplier PR Success