at first January of each year, the consumer technology industry descends on the affluent desert city of Las Vegas, Nevada, for CES. The trade show is the largest technology industry event in the world, with more than 138,000 attendees and 2.5 million square feet of floor space. It is primarily a place for businesses (startups, multinationals, retailers, distributors and financiers) to connect. But the show is also open to the press and the general public, so everyone is competing for each other’s attention, eyes, and wallets. The level of glitz and spectacle, especially in the big-budget booths of the largest companies, is astronomical.
Photographer Tristan deBrauwere has been in Las Vegas all week filming the show for WIRED; View his three photo galleries for highlights of his work. Today, Tristan takes us behind the scenes to show us that even in its vibrant, internet-connected, robotic center, CES is still a show where humanity reigns.