When Should You Start Preparing for CES 2027?A Planning Guide for Startups
Every January, thousands of companies converge on Las Vegas to showcase their products, and more than 1,200 of them are in Eureka Park alone. Only a fraction of startups leave with new partnerships and positive press. The difference is often the planning, not the product.
Why Is It Important to Prepare for CES Early?
Location, Location, Location
Your physical location affects everything: visibility, traffic, who you're surrounded by and how you are perceived. High-traffic areas and curated zones like Eureka Park are competitive and booked months in advance. If you wait until November, you may still get a space, but you will not get the one that supports your goals.
Schedules fill up fast
Reporters and investors CES are not wandering around hoping to discover you. Their schedules are locked by November (sometimes even earlier). If you want to be on their radar, you need to start outreach in the fall and secure those meetings before the floor gets crowded.
Messaging takes longer than you think
Reporters, partners and investors want to know:
- Why now?
- What makes this different?
- Why should anyone care?
Clear, confident messaging is not developed overnight and alignment can take time, especially across teams that are moving fast. CES forces focus. Teams that rush (or skip) messaging development tend to spend the week stumbling through inconsistent or vague explanations.
Create an experience, not just signage
Your booth should invite people in. Interactive demos and live storytelling help visitors engage directly with your product. Capture content through photos, short interviews or live clips. These assets extend your visibility well beyond the show floor and fuel post-event campaigns.
International and regulated startups face added complexity
If you are using CES as a U.S. market entry point, or you are in a regulated space like healthtech or fintech, preparation is even more involved. Localization, compliance narratives, stakeholder alignment, travel arrangements and legal review all lengthen the runway.
The ROI of CES depends on your follow-through, which should be scoped now
Press hits are not the end goal. Strategic CES planning includes post-show engagement: lead nurture, investor updates, international amplification and content that extends your visibility well beyond Vegas. If that system is not in place ahead of time, you will lose momentum post-show.
Your competition is already in planning mode
Understanding the landscape around you is part of CES preparation. Review the exhibitor list early to identify nearby companies and refine how you stand apart. Track upcoming launches in your category so you are ready for comparisons or questions. This awareness sharpens your positioning and prepares you for tougher conversations.
The Advantages of Planning Ahead
When you plan early, you create space to:
- Coordinate with legal, ops and comms so nothing gets held up
- Decide what success looks like, and how you will measure it
- Refine your messaging across audiences
- Get valuable feedback from trusted advisors before launch
- Book key meetings with media, investors and partners
- Design creative that reinforces your strategy, not just fills space
- Train internal spokespeople to stay on message under pressure
Not sure where to start with CES planning? Focus here first.
We get it, prepping for a trade show can be overwhelming, but it's essential you get started now. Here are the first few steps you should take:
1Clarify your objective
Before locking in a booth or building a demo, get aligned on why you are going. Are you focused on launching a new product, raising capital, attracting media attention, hiring talent or closing deals? Each of these goals requires a different approach, timeline and messaging strategy. Without a clear objective, you risk spreading your resources too thin.
2Define your audiences
Once your goal is set, identify who you need to reach to make it successful. Investors, reporters, potential partners, buyers and talent all engage differently at CES. Know where they spend time, what they are looking for and how to engage them on the floor, at events or in follow-up conversations.
3Assemble your internal leads
CES planning cuts across departments. Designate a small, cross-functional team to lead the charge. Often, this is someone from marketing, product, operations and leadership. Assign clear areas of ownership early (e.g. media outreach, booth logistics, lead capture) so decisions get made quickly and nothing falls through the cracks.
You don't have to do it all on your own.
We have worked with early-stage startups and growth-stage leaders alike to support CES and other high-visibility moments. Our role varies; sometimes we are brought in to refine messaging and shape media strategy, other times to lead the full go-to-market rollout.
But in every case, the difference is the same: teams that plan early move more confidently. They leave CES with traction, not just foot traffic. And those that don't tend to see very little ROI.
Make the most of your time at CES 2027
Whether you need full strategic support, PR or a second opinion on your booth design, our experts can help.
Frequently Asked Questions About Preparing for CES 2027
When is CES 2027?
CES 2027 takes place Jan. 6–9, 2027, in Las Vegas. Companies exhibiting, launching products or pursuing media opportunities should begin planning well before January, particularly if they need exhibit space, press outreach, messaging development or stakeholder approvals.
How early should startups start preparing for CES 2027?
Startups should ideally begin preparing for CES several months in advance. By late summer or early fall, teams should be defining objectives, audiences, messaging and internal responsibilities. Media and investor outreach should follow early enough to secure meetings before calendars become crowded.
When should you start media outreach for CES?
CES media outreach should typically begin in the fall, with messaging, story angles and press materials prepared beforehand. Reporters receive a significant volume of CES pitches, so reaching out early gives your team more time to establish relevance, coordinate interviews and follow up before the event.
How can a startup get media attention at CES?
Getting media attention at CES requires more than announcing that you will be there. Start with a clear story: what is new, why it matters now and why your company is qualified to address the issue. Target journalists whose coverage aligns with that story, then make interviews, demonstrations and supporting materials easy to access.
What should be included in a CES communications plan?
A CES communications plan should define your objectives, priority audiences, core messaging, media strategy, spokespersons, content needs and follow-up process. It should also identify who owns each activity and how success will be measured so the team can evaluate results beyond booth traffic.
Is CES worth it for startups?
CES can be valuable for startups when participation supports a specific business objective. The strongest opportunities may include media visibility, investor conversations, partnerships, customer relationships or market entry. Simply exhibiting without a strategy for reaching those audiences makes it much harder to generate measurable value from the investment.
How should international startups prepare for CES?
International startups using CES to build visibility in the U.S. should account for additional preparation, including market-specific messaging, localization, regulatory considerations and media expectations. Positioning that works in a home market may need to be adapted so U.S. reporters, investors and potential partners immediately understand the company's relevance.
What should companies do after CES?
Post-CES follow-up should begin almost immediately. Prioritize leads and media conversations, follow up with investors and partners, repurpose event content and continue outreach around announcements or relationships developed during the show. Planning this process before CES makes it easier to maintain momentum once the event ends.