Every year I head out to Sin City, aka Las Vegas, aka Lost Wages, Nevada for the CES 2016. CES = Consumer Electronics Show, the world’s largest showcase (and getting larger every year) of everything in the tech and electronics industry. Health, Robotics, 3D Printing, Automotive, Entertainment, Phones, Gadgets, 8k HDTVs; I mean everything. For those of you who have never been to Las Vegas, huh, really? Gambling, strip clubs, pool parties, dining, dancing, drinking, shopping and entertainment options galore; plus world-class shows like Cirque du Soleil (amazing!!!) and newcomer Absinthe (incredible!! adults only), wow what a great way to spend a week networking and enjoying yourself. WORK CAN BE FUN…
At 47 years old, I skip the clubs (been there and done that) and focus on connecting with my fellow Entrepreneurs, however, of course, I enjoy the dining and entertainment, and play a little blackjack. NOTE – the casinos on the strip have changed the payout and other rules, so beware, blackjack odds are now worse in favor of you, the gambler. Of course some of the best networking happens over cocktails. That’s just old-school business 101.
The big boys were all out here, Sony, Panasonic, Ford, Intel, and so on. All being covered by the big techie news companies, like CNET and Tech Crunch.
What I enjoy the most every year is getting past all the big boys, with their big (and well known toys) and digging deep into the up-and-coming Entrepreneurs. The newcomers, the disruptors, the game changers. And here they are…
Phone Soap, another Shark Tank Success story. Vegas doesn’t have to be so dirty now!
OKTO is a smart ring, think blue-tooth headset for your hand. From their website, “First Smart Ring You Can Talk Through. Make calls while your phone is in your pocket.” Really cool!
YipYap is “The first bluetooth phone for kids”. From their website “It connects to your smartphone just like a bluetooth headset. So your kid will think they’re talking on their own phone while yours stays out of harms way.”
Aipoly is “Vision through Artificial Intelligence”. From their website, “We deliver a multi-layered neural network to your phone through an app. This artificial intelligence is able to understand your camera’s input and describe what it sees out loud.” I immediately thought of my pal Ted Henter, a blind Entrepreneur, who could use this app on his smart phone – it recognizes objects and describes what it sees outloud. WOW!! Thanks to Simon Edwardsson, Co-founder (tallest guy in the photo – I believe).
VUZE says to “Relive the Moment” via their amazing 3D 360 virtual reality camera system. While I was standing there, Yahav Yaniv, VP of Operations was grilled by a pro video guy, and he was able to answer everything resulting in smiling satisfaction.
PawsCam is a camera for around your pet’s neck, hung on the leash. Love Can Fly is the motto of founder Chris Kong, pictured with his lovely wife.
And my favorite was the hologram machine (check out the images over his left shoulder) by Entrepreneur Kiryl Chykeyuk founder of Kino-mo out of London, UK. He is looking for a large deal to sell thousands of his holograph machines – and with the huge crowd he was attracting, I’m confident he’ll be quite successful.
Since I created and run a wedding and event venue called NOVA 535 Unique Event Space, located in beautiful Downtown St. Pete, Florida, my clients are always getting younger. And more tech savvy. So I’m driven to keep NOVA 535 in the #1 Best Reviewed spot, via continuous improvement. Tech can certainly make the booking, planning and event experience easier, faster and more enjoyable. That’s part of why I love going to CES every year. So many new ideas and innovations; BRAVO to all of my fellow Entrepreneurs!!
So what exactly is the Entrepreneur Social Club, aka the ESC? It’s my efforts, since 2009, to connect with, mentor and enjoy the company of my fellow Entrepreneurs. See the club is about connecting the world’s Entrepreneurs; as we are different, the risk takers and PROBLEM SOLVERS. The ESC strictly forbids religion and politics – focusing instead on fun and productive solutions. The Entrepreneurs you’ve just met, along with my Chinese Blackjack friends (Airwheels America) below, (great fun times even with shitty cards!!) are all fellow HUMANS; humans from the UK, China, Russia, Europe, Africa, America and just about every corner of the globe. It’s up to US to WORK TOGETHER, and evolve past the politics that divides us. Make progress and peaceful solutions, not war. And have a great time along the way!! That’s what the Entrepreneur Social Club is all about. Like what you hear? Join us! Please connect with me, Michael S. Novilla the founder of the ESC, and like and SHARE our blogs.
PS. A special THANK YOU to my very special, amazing, amiga Alejandra for all her help and support during CES 2016. Gracias!
