i3 - January/February 2016 - 106

Business

BY ROBIN RASKIN

CES 2016: THE WOMAN'S REPORT

Time was, not too long
ago, where the only advantage
of being a woman at CES was
a short line at the bathroom.
As technology has become
life's sidekick and as CES has
morphed from an electronics
show to a show that celebrates
innovation, all that has changed.
This year women are continuing to make an impact in
helping to shape the world of
technology. Keynotes from
GM's Mary Barra and IBM's
Ginni Rometty, speakers
including Mary Lou Jepsen
of Oculus Rift, Megan Smith,
the U.S. Chief Technology
Officer, and Amy Wilkinson
speaking on her new book, The
Creators Code are just a few of
the major events.
Karen Chupka, senior vice
president of CES and Corporate Business Strategy, recalls
the beginning of a concerted
effort to address women in the
industry. "We had a program
called "Technology is a Girl's
Best Friend" around 2004," says
Chupka. "We all loved tech and
felt that we weren't the only
women who did. It led us to conduct a survey that asked women
if they would rather have an
HDTV or a one carat diamond
ring (both similarly priced at the
time) and the HDTV won!"
Shelly Zalis of The Girl's
106

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2016

Lounge is intent on
making sure that women
have a strong foothold at
CES. The Girl's Lounge,
held in a penthouse
suite at the Encore for
the past three years at
CES, invites women
executives to take a break
from the hubbub of the
show floor and let their hair
down in an enclave surrounded
by women in tech. Zalis, a tech
entrepreneur, says the idea of the
Girl's Lounge came to her the
year that she looked for female
friends to head to CES with her.
She had her epiphany when
she found that tech companies
really wanted to hear what
was on their minds. Today she
sponsors 37 lounges each year
across 10 different conferences,
all with the theme of connecting,
collaborating and cultivating a
sense of social responsibility for
women.
This year's Lounge visitors
can meet Amy Purdy, who
became a professional snowboarder despite losing both
her legs to meningitis, tour the
show floor on a guided tour with
Megan Smith, the U.S. CTO,
and experience new wearables
in the lounge.
Carol Campbell, a Napco
publishing executive hosts
Women in CE, an organization
that promotes the women in
the consumer technology field
through networking and professional growth. This year they're
at Planet Hollywood awarding
the CE Legacy Awards.
Andrea Smith, a veteran
of CES, first at ABC News and
then Mashable, is the producer
of MommyTech TV which looks

Top Five Must See
Things at CES 2016

The Wearable Marketplace ● Wrist-wear, eyewear, smart
fabrics, handbags, and all sorts of rings and bracelets have
"smartened up" and act as mobile devices allowing you to
stay in touch, stay safe and look great at the same time. The
BeautyTech and BabyTech Showcases are full of products
to help women look their best including skin and haircare as
well as baby products for the new connected parent.
Kids@Play and FamilyTech Summit ● Robots from SpinMaster, WowWee, WonderPlay, Lego and AvatarMinds appeal
to boys and girls and dominate this year. Making things,
coding skills, 3D printing, drones and AR/VR are all on display
in pint-sized bites. Making things and coding dominate this
year's kids section of CES.
Connected Smart Car ● Intelligent vehicles from the
driverless car, to onboard systems to keep drivers safe,
awake and aware of the road around them will appeal to any
woman who's ever worried about automobile safety and
wished for features to make simple things like navigation and
entertainment easier.
Reed Hastings Keynote Speech ● Netflix's CEO Reed
Hastings implemented an unlimited parental leave policy at
work and has been an outspoken proponent of everything
from diversity to unlimited time off.
Smart Home Presented by Bosch and Coldwell Banker
The connected home experience is high on the list of every
woman's wish list. This is a great place to see the future in
action.

at the CES exhibit floor from a
woman's POV. Smith sees the
Internet of Things and smart
home technology as being this
year's life-changing technology for women. "Once all these
smart devices start talking to
and working with each other,
women can take a step back and
tend to the things that matter
most to them like family and
friends," says Smith. "Being able
to start your slow cooker dinner
from your smartphone or know
when your kids are home from
school via the smart lock, means
there's less to worry about and
more time and energy to focus
on the important stuff."
Jenna Blaha, tech editor
at Marie Claire will be at the

BeautyTech Showcase explaining to women how to use technology to look their best. Blaha
says that Marie Claire readers
are looking for technology coverage in the magazine. In the
early days, she says, tech was a
separate section in the magazine. Today tech is an organic
part of the editorial coverage
woven into shopping, fashion,
beauty and entertainment.
Rachel Rothman aka
@GHGadgetGirl, the technical and engineering director of
Good Housekeeping, is preparing her take on the hottest new
products for today's connected
woman. She'll moderate
panels at the Baby and Beauty
Showcase.
I T I S I N N O VAT I O N

Hero Images/Getty Images

CTA R E P O RTS

http://www.cesweb.org/Show-Floor/Marketplaces/Wearables.aspx http://www.thegirlslounge.com/ http://www.beautytechsummit.com http://www.babytechsummit.com http://www.cesweb.org/Show-Floor/Marketplaces/Kids-Technology http://www.cesweb.org/Show-Floor/Marketplaces/Vehicle-Intelligence https://www.cesweb.org/Conference/Keynotes/Tech-Titans/Reed-Hastings,-Netflix/Reed-Hastings http://www.fortune.com/2015/08/04/netflix-maternity-paternity-leave/ http://www.cesweb.org/Show-Floor/Marketplaces/Smart-Home.aspx https://www.ted.com/talks/amy_purdy_living_beyond_limits?language=en https://www.cesweb.org/Events-Programs/Garys-Book-Club https://www.cesweb.org/Events-Programs/Garys-Book-Club https://www.whitehouse.gov/administration/eop/ostp/about/leadershipstaff/smith http://www.womenince.org/events/details https://www.twitter.com/GHGadgetGirl http://www.thegirlslounge.com/ http://www.familytechsummit.com/2015-mommy-tech-tv/

i3 - January/February 2016

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