Going to CES 2026? What's your strategy to build your brand at the event?

Heading to CES 2026 to build your brand and fill your sales pipeline? It’s a big opportunity to super-charge your marketing at the biggest tech event in the world. CES regularly draws in about 140,000 attendees, with thousands of products and services on display. Everyone from startups to enterprises take over multiple venues on the Las Vegas strip. 

But visibility without intent turns into noise. How can your team turn this brand building opportunity at CES into real business?

CES is not a normal conference. It’s a week-long convergence of public relations launches, media deadlines, investor meetings, and deal-making. Here's my battle-tested playbook to stand out at CES and beyond.

Journalists attending who can help build your brand 

Many journalists have already announced that they’ll be at CES 2026. If you’re an exhibitor, you’ll have access to the full media list. But if you’re just attending and have a great story to tell a journalist, here are a few to watch out for. 

• Pascale Davies is a reporter for EuroNews. She covers tech, business and innovation, and specializes in AI and cybersecurity.  

• Aamir Siddiqui is a senior writer for Android Authority. He has lots of technical knowledge about software, and is interested in everything android and app development. 

• Evan Kirstel is the host of Techimpact.tv on FOXbusiness and Bloomberg TV. He has over 600K+ followers across social media, and is interested in enterprise IT, AI, cybersecurity, 5G, and digital health. 

• Katie Collins is the principal writer at CNET. She’s most interested in tech policy and Big Tech stories. 

• Jon Swartz is a Silicon Valley reporter at the TechStrong group. He writes about AI, social media, and profiles CEOs. 

• Emma Roth is a news writer for The Verge. She mainly covers streaming, social media, consumer tech, and gaming. 

• Cherlynn Low is the managing editor of Engadget. Her and her team cover everything tech, digital, and business. 

• Maria Diaz is a writer at ZDNet. She primarily writes about smart home devices, tablets, and robot vacuums.

• Hamish Hector is a senior staff writer at TechRadar. He covers smart home deals, speakers, graphics cards, and everything in between. 

• Alex Perry is a tech reporter at Mashable. He primarily covers video games and consumer tech. He also reviews games, smartphones, headphones, and laptops. 

  
  

The PR playbook to build your brand at CES 2026 

More than 6,500 members of the media attended CES last year, and this year will be just as, if not more, popular. Every reporter is looking for the next big tech product to write about, or an interesting company or CEO to profile. But in a sea of other companies, how do you stand out? 

Target journalists in your niche. Most reporters at CES will have tech, or business, or innovation in their job title, but you need to get WAY more specific than that to have a conversation that matters. 

Our most successful clients pick a few journalists from their specific niche before the show, whether that’s cybersecurity, smart homes, or cleantech. These are journalists they’re followed for a while because of their industry-specific coverage. Spray and pray isn’t a PR strategy that works at any time, especially during CES. 

Have your story ready. “So, what does your company do?” I’ve seen founders look like a deer in headlights when asked that very simple question. The best interactions with journalists don’t just answer that question, but they tell an interesting story. 

“We optimize ads using AI” becomes “Brands waste 35% of their ad budget every year because of bad targeting. We use AI to reduce waste by 80% instantly, which saves most of our clients at least $5 million a year.” 

“Our tech makes it easier to plan construction projects” becomes “Companies are wasting hundreds of hours a month creating plans in CAD. We take 3D scans of their facilities, and create a model in just a day. We launched in July and we already have 5 major oil companies on board.” 

And keep it brief. Journalists don’t need an hour-long lecture on the background of your company. Give a great elevator pitch, and then see if they have any follow up questions. 

Follow up after the show. Journalists will be speaking to hundreds, if not thousands, of company founders over the week of CES. Even if your story is dynamite, they might not remember to contact you after the show. 

When journalists leave Vegas, they’ll be busy writing roundups of the show. One LinkedIn message or email thanking them for chatting and reminding them of your story is your chance to be included in roundup stories by major media outlets like ZDNet and TechRepublic. 

How to turn brand building at CES 2026 into real business

When brand building at CES wraps up, and you’re on the plane back from Vegas, the real work has only just begun. 

CES provides all of its attendees with the CES Connect App, which has many useful features like Attendee Connect, where attendees can share contact information with one another via a secure QR code. That’s great for in the moment connections, but the second people get home, they delete the app. It’s best to add people on LinkedIn as soon as possible. 

Within hours of getting home from CES, I’ll be firing off messages. Simple, genuine notes to people I've met, reigniting conversations and exploring potential collaborations.

CES 2026 is an invaluable opportunity to discover trends and boost your business's visibility. With meticulous planning, active participation, and post-conference action, you're set to make the most out of it.

Ready to stand out at your next tech conference? Let's make it happen. Connect with Mind Meld PR today.