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The Consumer Electronics Show (CES) is undoubtedly the CE industry's largest and most popularized trade show. It was created in 1967, when the CE industry was growing both in the number of new product categories and in the amount of foreign manufacturers. The Consumer Electronics Group division (today's CEA) of the Electronics Industries' Association (EIA) realized that there was no trade show dedicated to all of the aspects of their industry; thus the CES was created as a place for all interested parties to do business.
The show was unveiled in June of that year in New York City, with 200 exhibitors and 17,500 attendees, according to CEA. Its initial success and the general growth and development of the industry allowed the show to grow each year and, in 1973, a Winter CES was established in Las Vegas, taking place in January. The June CES, relocated to Chicago in 1971, became known as the Summer CES. Both shows existed up to 1994, after which it was decided one show would be sufficient to serve the industry. The summer show was discontinued, and the las Vegas-based winter show continued.
Today, the show fills over 1.2 million net square feet of exhibit space and caters to 99,438 attendees (CES 2002 statistics). To commemorate the CES of days past, following are images of the show's illustrious 35-year history.