CES 2027 Exhibitor Guide: Dates, Costs, Audience and Preparation

Short answer: CES 2027 runs from January 6 to 9, 2027 in Las Vegas. It is a trade-only event for industry professionals aged 18 and over, and CES 2026 drew 148,392 participants (audited), 37.6% of them from outside the US. The Consumer Technology Association (CTA) doesn't publish 2027 booth rates; the last public rate card, for CES 2025, listed open space at $45 per square foot for CTA members and $50 for non-members, before build, labor, shipping, power, travel and hotels. Exhibit if you have a demo-ready consumer tech product and a clear goal for US buyers, partners, investors or international media, and the budget to follow up after the show.

CES 2027 at a glance

CES combines a very large, audited trade audience with thousands of media, creators and analysts. That is the reason to go, and also the reason it is hard to stand out.

Audience and figures

CTA released audited results for CES 2026 at the end of March 2026: 148,392 participants (audited), up 4% on the previous year, of whom 55,841 (37.6%) came from 141 countries, regions and territories outside the US (CTA release via AAP, March 2026). The attendance count was independently audited by a third party. The same release reports, as CTA figures, more than 4,100 exhibitors across 2.6 million net square feet, around 1,200 startups in Eureka Park, and 7,037 media, content creators and industry analysts (CES 2026 audit summary).

On its exhibitor page, CTA also says 52% of CES 2026 attendees were senior-level and 65% had significant buying influence (CES exhibitor overview). These are CTA's own audience claims; use them as a guide, not as a promise about who will visit your booth.

Audited CES 2027 figures won't be available until after the show, usually in spring.

Trade only. CES is not open to the general public. Attendees must be 18 or older and show proof of industry affiliation (CES registration information). You meet retailers, distributors, partners, investors, analysts and media, not consumers. If you want direct consumer feedback or sales at the booth, CES is the wrong format.

Badge prices are not booth prices

Visitor badges are a separate cost from exhibiting. For CES 2027, CTA lists the Standard Pass at $149 through November 30, 2026 and $349 from December 1 to January 9; the Premium Pass costs $1,450, then $1,750. Cancellations made in writing by December 9, 2026 are refunded minus a $50 fee, and Maritz is the only official registration vendor (CES registration information).

Exhibitors receive staff badges with their space. Under the CES 2025 rules, that was five badges per 100 square feet, with a minimum of ten (CES 2025 exhibitor benefits). Check the 2027 allotment in your contract.

What exhibiting at CES costs

Exhibit space

CTA sells indoor space, outdoor space, raw square footage and turnkey packages, but publishes no 2027 rate on its exhibit pages. Pricing comes through a CES sales representative, and CTA advises booking early "for the best rates and options" (CES exhibit space).

The last rate card CTA published was for CES 2025: open exhibit space at $45 per square foot for CTA members and $50 for non-members. Booths of 399 square feet or less included an 8-foot back wall, side drape and an 11x17 sign; CTA membership was not included (CES 2025 exhibitor benefits). At those rates, a 10x10 booth (100 square feet) was $4,500 to $5,000 for space alone. Don't assume the same price for CES 2027; ask for the current rate card.

Eureka Park

Eureka Park is the startup area. CTA says eligible companies are typically five years old or less, have raised Series B funding or less, and offer demo-ready technology. The product must be consumer technology ("concepts or components for another device do not qualify"), companies generally exhibit there for no more than two years, first-time exhibitors get priority, and companies that have exhibited elsewhere at CES are typically not eligible. CTA reviews every application (Eureka Park application).

The CES 2027 Eureka Park application is open, but CTA publishes neither a fee nor a deadline on the page. Many startups join through a national pavilion run by their government or trade agency, and those package prices vary by program. The Netherlands' RVO, for example, lists a €4,400 trade mission fee for CES 2027 (RVO), and Switzerland ran a Swiss Pavilion start-up package with an August 31, 2026 deadline (S-GE). JETRO's Japan Pavilion in Eureka Park (31 companies at CES 2026, per Forbes JAPAN, in Japanese) returns for CES 2027 but is open only to Japanese startups (JETRO, CES 2027); our trade show launch guide explains why overseas brands can't join such pavilions.

CES Unveiled

CES Unveiled Las Vegas on January 4 is a media event before the show opens. For CES 2026, CTA listed a tabletop at $7,800 and a Eureka Park highboy table at $800 (CES 2026 Unveiled flyer). This is an add-on to exhibiting, not a booth fee, and 2027 prices may differ.

Las Vegas services

Booth services in Las Vegas are expensive and priced by the hour, pound or outlet. The CES exhibitor manuals page, during CES 2027 planning, says Freeman rates will rise 3% over CES 2026 and material handling rates stay flat (CES exhibitor manuals). Examples listed on that page:

Late orders cost more: the same 500W outlet is about 50% more expensive after the advance deadline. Material handling for 500 lb of crates at $0.71 per lb is $355. Confirm the exact rates and minimums in your own exhibitor manual.

Shipping demo units and booth materials into the US temporarily may call for an ATA Carnet, which lets goods enter duty-free for exhibitions; fees depend on the chamber in your country (trade.gov).

Hotels and travel

Hotel rooms are booked through onPeak, the official housing provider listed on ces.tech. Prices rise sharply in show week. Navan's booking data put the median nightly rate near the LVCC during CES 2026 at $439, and rooms booked two to four weeks out had a median of $594 (Navan, September 2026). Book rooms when you book space.

How it adds up

Space is only part of the bill: build, services, freight, hotels and staff usually cost more than the floor itself. For how industry studies split the total, see what it costs to exhibit at an international trade show.

Media and press at CES

CES media credentials are for working press, industry analysts and content creators who can show credentials such as bylines, assignment letters or audience metrics. PR, marketing, publishing and sales staff don't qualify and must register as industry attendees (CES registration information; CES media guides). Your PR team or agency can't get a media badge by representing you.

Media attention at CES is concentrated in a few days and spread across thousands of exhibitors. CTA reports 327,000 pieces of media published around CES 2026 (CES exhibitor overview); very few of those will be about any one booth. Pre-booked meetings, a clear news angle and materials ready before the show matter more than booth size.

Advantages and disadvantages

Advantages

• A large, independently audited audience, with a high international share (37.6% in 2026).
• Media density. Thousands of journalists, creators and analysts in one place.
• A startup route. Eureka Park and national pavilions give smaller companies a curated, lower-cost way in.
• US retail and partner meetings compressed into four days.
• A news peg that works for months: "shown at CES" helps later pitches in other markets.

Disadvantages

• High total cost. Las Vegas labor, services and hotels add up quickly, and 2027 space rates aren't public.
• Noise. More than 4,100 exhibitors compete for the same buyers and editors.
• Timing. Preparation falls over the year-end holidays, and the show is early in the year for products launching in autumn.
• No consumers. You can't test retail messaging with shoppers.
• Coverage is not automatic. Most exhibitors get little or no press. CES coverage in English also doesn't reach Japanese or other non-English buyers on its own.

Who should exhibit

CES is a strong fit if your product is consumer technology, works in a live demo, and you have a specific goal: US retail buyers, distribution partners, investors, or international media ahead of a launch. It suits smart home, audio, wearables, mobility, health tech and connected appliances well. Eureka Park suits early hardware startups that meet CTA's criteria.

It is a weaker fit if your product isn't demo-ready, if it is a lifestyle or pet product without a technology angle, or if your main market is a single country with its own strong show. For alternatives, compare consumer electronics trade shows in 2027 and smart home and appliance trade shows in 2027. If Japan is the priority, see major trade shows in Japan.

Preparation timeline

• Nine to twelve months out: decide goals and budget, contact a CTA sales representative or apply to Eureka Park, and check whether your country runs a pavilion. National pavilions often close months before the show.
• Six months out: confirm space, booth design and builder; book hotels through onPeak.
• Three months out: order services before the advance deadlines in the exhibitor manual; arrange shipping and any carnet; register staff.
• Six to eight weeks out: prepare press materials, book meetings with buyers and editors, and decide whether CES Unveiled is worth the cost.
• Show week: demos, meetings, a contact log.
• Following weeks: follow up with every contact while the show is still a reason to talk.

For the full PR sequence around a show, see how to turn a trade show launch into Japanese media coverage.

How to Reach Japanese Media Around CES

Japanese technology media follow CES closely, but with thousands of exhibitors, a product announced only in English is easy to skip. Which outlets to brief, and when, is covered in taking a CES launch to Japan. Three points matter for exhibitors:

• Time zone. Japan is 17 hours ahead of Las Vegas in January, so send the Japanese release to Japanese editors in advance under the same embargo.
• Japanese availability. Say when and how the product will reach Japan, or say plainly that it won't yet. Japanese readers can't act on a US-only launch.
• After the show. Japanese outlets publish CES recaps and analysis for weeks. Review units in Japan and a separate Japanese launch give editors a second reason to write.

Use the guide to Japanese gadget websites to choose outlets, and see trade show PR in Japan for booth-level press work.

Where Gloture fits

Gloture has no affiliation with CES or CTA, and we don't sell booths or build stands. We help overseas brands exhibiting at CES carry the launch into Japan: a Japanese release timed for Japanese editors, outreach to the outlets that cover your category, and review units and follow-up after the show. Product PR in Japan starts from US$2,500. We don't guarantee coverage. To plan the Japanese side of a CES launch, start a Japan PR Review.

CES exhibitor checklist

Frequently asked questions

How much does a booth at CES 2027 cost?

CTA hasn't published a 2027 rate; you get a quote from a CES sales representative. The last public rate card, for CES 2025, listed open space at $45 per square foot for members and $50 for non-members, which is $4,500 to $5,000 for a 10x10 booth before build, services, shipping and travel.

Can consumers attend CES?

No. CES is a trade event for industry professionals aged 18 and over with proof of industry affiliation. Exhibitors meet buyers, partners, investors, analysts and media rather than shoppers.

Can our PR agency get a CES media badge?

No. CES media credentials are for working journalists, analysts and qualifying content creators. PR and marketing staff register as industry attendees, and their job is to invite credentialed media to your booth.