Across CES 2026, taking place this week in Las Vegas, January 6-9, stages and studios are proliferating and live-wiring content and conversations across the show floor. Mainstays (Samsung, we’re lookin’ at you) have joined a community of showstopper brands creating immersive and exclusive spaces outside the major convention centers. And theme-park-style thrills of the past have been replaced with classic experiential demos, photo activations and cinematic rooms for extra impact.
Our team is on the ground in Vegas this week, dividing and conquering the CTA’s annual show as part of the Chief Marketer Network, an Official Media Partner of CES 2026. Here’s what has caught the attention of EM’s editors so far. (For coverage questions and agency/fabricator credits, please reach out to Rachel Boucher, rboucher@accessintel.com.)
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Exclusive, Immersive Spaces
Indeed, brands are increasingly trading a show floor presence for off-floor and owned experiences. Intel famously led the charge on this activity years ago, while Samsung this year launched The First Look at the Wynn, eliminating its show floor presence entirely. Building on this point: there are many exclusive access, invite-only experiences everywhere on the floor and in the outdoor pavilions at the Las Vegas Convention Center. (Build: MC²)
Welcome Theaters
Brand exhibitors are building in transitions, like welcome moments that serve as immersive entrances with 360-degree theaters that let out into product demo areas (Samsung, Caterpillar and Panasonic all took this approach).
Panasonic’s presence was notably reimagined this year with timed entry, a welcome cinematic moment and a minimalist, spacious, gallery-style mix of vignettes and signage glowing under spotlights. (Build: Czarnowski)
Clever Video Activations
BMW is going all-in on showcasing the new BMW iX3, which features the AI-powered BMW Intelligent Personal Assistant with Alexa+ technology. The primary experience within the outdoor lounge at the LVCC is a photo op experience that puts participants on the big screen, front and center, in the booth.
After taking a selfie and typing in their name on a tablet, BMW generates a custom video that integrates them into the iX3 and takes them through several of the carmaker’s eras. The video plays on a giant screen in the booth for everyone to see, and then the participant can scan a QR code to download the video as a keepsake. (Build: Czarnowski)
Home accessories company Laifen is inviting attendees to sit in the hot seat of its booth in front of 20 of its hair dryers for a slow-mo video op that plays directly above them on a big screen. On the count of three, all hair dryers turn on at once and blow the participant’s hair in various directions. Brand ambassadors encourage them to get even more into their model moment by shaking their hair around.
Bold Sustainability Stories
SCP Packaging arrived with a sustainable booth made out of recyclable cardboard and wood materials. The tree, animals and countertop in the center of the exhibit are fashioned completely out of cardboard, in addition to other displays. Attendees can enter an enclosed hallway to explore its Package Museum that tells the story of the company’s history and the evolution of packaging. The illuminated displays feature nature imagery to reinforce the company’s focus on sustainability.
Robot Fever
The theme this year at the world’s largest global trade show for consumer technology is “innovation for all,” with “affectionate intelligence” and “physically present AI companions” hot topics among tech media. It’s no surprise, then, that robots folding laundry, country-dancing and squeezing citrus for beverages are capturing (and captivating) many human hearts on the show floor.
Playful Fonts and Characters
Sassy script, neon color play and child-like wonder are showing up in booths, and are in stark contrast to strong and modern motifs often found at the tech show.
Hisense’s new location and showstopper entry moment around its RGB MiniLED TV juxtaposed with a casual and fun script font.
TCL’s reimagined booth (and new location) featured a sizeable “wonderland” area for its modular AI companion robot, AiMe, which debuted in 2025. Hisense’s new location, and entry moment with a ton of pizazz, is drawing attention.
And LG highlighted its gaming innovations powered by LG OLED evo AI tech with a collaboration with Reddit in the Entertainment in Tune zone that features a gothic-style studio (in stark contrast to the rest of the booth) featuring an interactive AI-radio-based experience and gaming demos.
Hyper-realistic Demos
We’re seeing demos that are fun to watch and participate in on the show floor—a bit of a change from years past where demos were tucked away or in pods. In fact, we haven’t come across one pod yet.
Statement Pieces
Many brands are incorporating bold architecture, sharp angles and unconventional elements into booths.
Hanging banners and design choices that feel royal are keeping 3M’s traditional booth space in the North Hall at LVCC buzzing.
Korean electric power company Kepco served up a “Future Electric Turtle Ship” designed in collaboration with the National Museum of Korea, which housed a theater offering timed showings throughout the day.
Waymo’s West Hall footprint features a vertical vehicle hanging overhead.
And Bosch’s reimagined (and energetic) booth space in its usual territory in Central Hall mixed every day textures (like pool noodle-like textures to signify washer scrubbing) with video walls updating in real time with images of superhero attendees captured in its “Like a Bosch”-themed photo activation.
Additional reporting by Juanita Chavarro Arias, EM managing editor, and Anna Huddleston, trade shows editor-at-large
