Summertime in Manhattan conjures up all kinds of wonderful thoughts and images, but if you’re into CE and imaging tech, there’s only one place to be—and that’s the Metropolitan Pavilion & Altman Building at 125 West 18th Street from June 24–28 for the annual CE Week event. That’s the week the consumer electronics industry converges on the Big Apple for a veritable celebration of what’s new, what’s happening and what’s in store for the rest of 2013.
The list of conferences taking place in New York during that week includes the CEA Research Summit, 2nd Screen Summit; Digital Health Summit, C3 Connected Car Conference and the Techlicious Summit, to name but a few.
Perhaps most interesting to the digital imaging community is the inaugural DI Symposium. Sponsored by this very publication, Digital Imaging Reporter, the PhotoImaging Manufacturers and Distributors Association (PMDA) and the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA), this conference will explore the many business and consumer issues facing the digital imaging community today and present unique perspectives from a diverse group of companies. Speakers and panelists from all areas of the digital imaging industry will explore innovation, new consumer behaviors, retailer issues, governmental issues, opportunities in HD Video and digital image databases.
Symposium topics will include “How Today’s Consumers Are Searching for New Products,” “What Consumers Are Tweeting and Sharing,” “What Retailers Are Offering” and “The Potential of 3D Printing.” All this and much more will be taking place on June 24 in the Apella at the Alexandria Center, located at 450 East 29th Street, New York.
For a complete look at the DI Symposium, check out ceweekny.com/conferences/di-symposium-2013.
Among the digital imaging exhibitors demonstrating their latest products and services on the show floor on Wednesday, June 26, and Thursday, June 27, in the Metropolitan Pavilion will be Targus, Samsung, PNY, ToCAD, Toshiba, Sony, Tiffen and Epson.
“We’re very excited to be exhibiting at CE Week again this year,” began Jason Palmer, marketing manager at Epson. “CE Week provides an ideal venue for Epson America to showcase its latest technology and innovations to key customers and influencers and allows attendees to see Epson’s latest projectors up front and in action.”
Just one of the new products you can expect to see will be Samsung’s NX2000 digital camera, which should make its debut on the show floor. This 20MP compact system camera features 14 shooting modes, Samsung’s Enhanced Wi-Fi connectivity and 12 interchangeable-lens options. The newest member of the company’s NX Smart line should interest those looking to eye some new digital imaging innovation at the show.
The Tiffen Company, one of the many returning exhibitors, will showcase their new Steadicam Curve for GoPro Hero action cams. The Curve is an extremely stealth camera stabilizing system engineered for the rigors of extreme sports and events. Compact enough to fit in a back pocket, the new Steadicam Curve weighs a mere half pound with an ergonomic design for one-handed, smooth video capture—ideal for GoPro users on the move.
“Tiffen celebrates 75 years of innovation this year. Our longevity and success are based on connecting with, and listening to, customers, and CE Week provides many opportunities for us to meet with the media as well as customers,” said Steve Tiffen, president and CEO of The Tiffen Company. “The CEA banner brings quality events to our industry and assures attendees of programs that are valuable and informative. We look forward to participating in the upcoming CE Week and showcasing Tiffen’s newest innovations in imaging accessories, such as the brand new Steadicam Curve.”
As the show grows, both the scope of technology displayed as well as the diversity of the attendees have changed. The event’s summer timing is targeted at Q4 product launches, so CE Week has clearly now become the place for the press, distributors, retailers and integrators to converge. Over the years, CE Week has been used as a venue for new product launches, networking events, press conferences, training workshops, dealer meetings, technical tours, demo sessions and more.
“This show essentially picks up where CES and PMA leave off earlier in the year,” explained Jim Cummins, a local New York pro shooter. “Things in this space happen so rapidly today that this industry needed a big midyear event, and this is exactly what CE Week has become.”
2013 CE Week Line Shows Conference Program Highlights
CE Week will feature an innovative new lineup of keynotes and conference sessions from well-known names in the technology industry. The 2013 CE Week Line Shows and Exhibits, scheduled for June 26–27 at the Metropolitan Pavilion and Altman Building, is the official show headquarters of the weeklong series of CE technology events.
To kick off CE Week, the CEA Research Summit, on June 24, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the High Line Hotel, will provide timely intelligence on the unique and important market trends and transformations emerging in the consumer electronics industry.
Aereo founder and CEO, Chet Kanojia, will join Gary Shapiro, president and CEO of CEA, for an in-depth conversation about how technology innovation drives Aereo’s business strategy at 10:30 a.m. on June 26.
Living in Digital Times will display the best and brightest in mobile app technology at the Mobile App Showdown. During the live showdown at 12:30 p.m. on June 26, 10 finalists will put their apps to the test and the audience will cast the deciding vote on the best app.
The CE Week SuperSessions will address popular topics, including 3D printing, crowdfunding, and the next generation of gaming. The CNET SuperSession “Bringing 3D Printing to Consumers,” on June 26 at 3:15 p.m., will present 3D printing breakthroughs ranging from houses to prosthetic skull implants to 3D printing on Mars. For consumers, 3D printing is either science fiction or suffers from the perception that it’s an expensive, time-consuming hobby with little practical utility. The questions to be addressed include: “How can consumer-facing 3D printing companies improve this image and attract more mainstream users?” “Should that even be the goal?” This panel will explore the issues and solutions around taking 3D printing to the mass market. Rich Brown, senior editor of CNET, will moderate.
The full CE Week conference program will include 50+ sessions and feature more than 150 speakers. For continually updated information on these and all of the goings-on at CE Week, visit ceweekny.com.
