Need a Convention Booth at CES for Your Mobile App?
The always-ballyhooed 2013 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) wrapped up last week, and in the middle of the overgrown HD television sizes, new flex-screen technology, and various gaming-driven tablets was a relatively new presence on the exhibition floor. Attendees saw a growing number of booths dedicated solely to individual mobile apps.
How does a mobile app compete against the tech giants of the world with their enormous booths on the CES floors that now take up nearly two million square feet? Winning the annual Mobile Apps Showdown doesn’t hurt, even if some believe software’s presence was “underwhelming” this year as CNET is claiming.
But the presence of software, and specifically mobile apps, at the marquee conferences is growing. The opportunity for developers to unveil their latest releases to such a tech savvy crowd and countless members of the press is one that can be invaluable, no matter what the cost of attending may be.
Below is a list of some of the most popular tech-centric conventions in the US and the respective exhibitor costs. The below prices are for the booth space alone. There are a plethora of add-on costs and forgotten expenses which can, in some cases, add up to ten times the initial investment.
Consumer Electronics Show (CES) Las Vegas NV: $70,000
Inc. recently broke down all the costs involved in attending CES as an exhibitor, and unless you’re one of the heavyweights in the hardware industry, the total cost can be more than a bit steep. However, the exposure to more than 150,000 attendees cannot be matched in many other places—if at all.
Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) Los Angeles CA: $12,000
Wikipedia refers to E3 as “the flagship expo in the video game industry.” As the current gamification of seemingly everything mobile continues to grow, the presence of mobile apps at E3 is likely to increase as well.
Appsworld San Francisco CA: $4,500
The price for a booth takes a serious step down to a more manageable level for many when the focus is solely on apps and not on gaming, systems, and computers. Appsworld features some of the biggest players in the industy, for developers on multiple platforms, and now offers a European expo as well.
AnDevCon Boston MA: $4,000 (approx.)
Previously held in San Francisco, AnDevCon is the world’s first convention held exclusively for developers on the Android platform. Booth pricing is determined by how far in advance reservations are made.
Macworld/iWorld San Francisco CA: $1,295/$2,695
This Apple platform-exclusive conference features an “Appalooza” that the event organizers state will expose you to “the largest concentration of Apple industry media anywhere.” They offer “standard” or “deluxe” booths, though the deluxe version seems to feature some pretty standard features that you’ll likely opt to spring for, should you attend.
Penny Arcade Expo (PAX) Seattle WA: $1,300
PAX has grown so tremendously popular over the years as to warrant the need for additional conferences in Boston MA and, for the first time this year, Melbourne, Australia. Even though PAX is a great opportunity for a world of exposure to the gaming community, once you factor in additional costs, exhibiting there isn’t as cheap as it may initially seem.
