Microsoft: No More Keynote and Booth at CES
Redmond-based software giant Microsoft has said goodbye to its keynote presentation and booth at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), the technology trade show held each January in the Las Vegas Convention Center.
This January, Microsoft will attend CES, but it will be the last time. CES 2012 will be the last time that Microsoft has a keynote presentation and a booth at CES. This does not mean that Microsoft and CES have parted ways; Microsoft will continue to participate in CES. For the past 20 years (approximately), Microsoft enjoyed a close working relationship with the CEA (Consumer Electronics Association) and it looks forward to continue working with the CEA in the future.
Getting back to the topic at hand, Microsoft justified the decision to give up on its keynote presentation and boot at CES by saying that the way it communicates with customers must change just as fast as the industry does. Microsoft asked itself three questions, and the answers to those questions showed that a keynote presentation and booth at CES were no longer necessary.
The three questions Microsoft asked itself are:
Frank X. Shaw, Corporate Vice President, Corporate Communications, Microsoft, explains what happened after these questions were asked:
“After thinking about questions like these, we have decided that this coming January will be our last keynote presentation and booth at CES. We’ll continue to participate in CES as a great place to connect with partners and customers across the PC, phone and entertainment industries, but we won’t have a keynote or booth after this year because our product news milestones generally don’t align with the show’s January timing.”
The bottom line is that CES 2012 is the last year there will be a Microsoft keynote presentation and boot at the trade show.
This January, Microsoft will attend CES, but it will be the last time. CES 2012 will be the last time that Microsoft has a keynote presentation and a booth at CES. This does not mean that Microsoft and CES have parted ways; Microsoft will continue to participate in CES. For the past 20 years (approximately), Microsoft enjoyed a close working relationship with the CEA (Consumer Electronics Association) and it looks forward to continue working with the CEA in the future.
Getting back to the topic at hand, Microsoft justified the decision to give up on its keynote presentation and boot at CES by saying that the way it communicates with customers must change just as fast as the industry does. Microsoft asked itself three questions, and the answers to those questions showed that a keynote presentation and booth at CES were no longer necessary.
The three questions Microsoft asked itself are:
- What’s the right time and place to make announcements?
- Are we adjusting to the changing dynamics of our customers?
- Are we doing something because it’s the right thing to do, or because “it’s the way we’ve always done it”?
Frank X. Shaw, Corporate Vice President, Corporate Communications, Microsoft, explains what happened after these questions were asked:
“After thinking about questions like these, we have decided that this coming January will be our last keynote presentation and booth at CES. We’ll continue to participate in CES as a great place to connect with partners and customers across the PC, phone and entertainment industries, but we won’t have a keynote or booth after this year because our product news milestones generally don’t align with the show’s January timing.”
The bottom line is that CES 2012 is the last year there will be a Microsoft keynote presentation and boot at the trade show.
