CES 2027 will take place from Wednesday 6 January to Saturday 9 January 2027 in Las Vegas, Nevada, with media days on 4–5 January before the show floor opens. The main venue is the Las Vegas Convention Center (LVCC), with official exhibits and events also spread across venues including the Venetian Expo and ARIA. CES is a trade-only event organised by the Consumer Technology Association (CTA): it is not open to the general public, and every attendee must be affiliated with the consumer technology industry and register in advance.

That trade-only rule is the single most important thing to understand before you plan anything. Unlike a music festival, you cannot simply buy a ticket as a fan. This guide explains who qualifies, how registration works, what the show actually looks like on the ground, what it costs to attend, and what to expect from the 2027 edition — which marks the 60th anniversary of the first CES.

CES 2027 at a Glance

Attendance and exhibitor figures vary by year. The most useful guide to the scale of CES 2027 is the audited result for CES 2026, published by the organiser after that show closed:

Treat these as a benchmark, not a promise for 2027. They explain two practical things, though: why hotels and meeting rooms fill so early, and why such a large share of the people on the floor are there with buying or partnership authority rather than as spectators.

CES 2027 Schedule: Day-by-Day Hours

CES week is longer than the four headline show days. Media activity starts two days before the exhibits open, and the conference programme begins a day early, so your arrival date should depend on what your badge actually gives you access to.

Exhibit and conference hours above are the published pattern for CES 2027 at the time of writing; confirm the final daily schedule in the official app before you fix meetings around the edges of the day.

Two parts of the programme deserve a line of their own, because first-time registrants often miss them. CES Foundry runs from 6–8 January and is the show’s meeting point for the AI and emerging-technology community — founders, investors and corporate innovation teams rather than the big-brand booth crowd. C Space, based around ARIA, is the strand for marketing, media and entertainment executives, with its own sessions and its own shuttle link to the main exhibit venues (see the transport notes in the venues section below). If either audience sounds like you, check whether your pass type covers those sessions before you travel.

Who Can Attend CES 2027?

CES registration is open to people working in or closely connected to the consumer technology industry: manufacturers, retailers and distributors, software and service companies, investors, analysts, content creators covering tech as a business, and accredited media. During registration you should expect to provide proof of industry affiliation — for example a business website, employer details, recent industry coverage for media, or similar verification. Applications that cannot show an industry connection can be declined.

If you are a technology enthusiast with no industry role, do not book flights assuming you will get in. Your realistic alternatives are to follow the extensive free coverage during show week — keynotes and major launches are widely reported and many are streamed by the brands themselves through their own channels — or to attend one of the many public tech events held in other cities during the year. If your job situation changes, register as early as possible, because verification can take time.

How Does CES 2027 Registration and Badge Pickup Work?

Registration is handled through the official CES website, and for CES 2027 the pass prices have been published — with one firm deadline that matters more than any other detail on this page. The standard pass more than doubles in price after 30 November 2026, so registering in November rather than December is the single easiest saving of the whole trip.

Prices checked in October 2026 against the organiser’s published CES 2027 registration pricing; the CTA can adjust fees, so confirm the figure on the official registration page before you pay. Two add-ons are worth knowing about before checkout. Individual conference tracks and partner programmes can be added to a pass for an extra fee, which is cheaper than upgrading to Premium if you only want one track. A Las Vegas Monorail pass covering show days is also offered as a registration add-on, and for anyone staying on the Strip it usually earns its cost back in saved rideshare fares within the first two days.

If you are budgeting the whole trip rather than just the badge, our breakdown of what it costs to attend a business conference in the USA works through the non-ticket costs — hotels, flights, food and transfers — in the same format.

Your badge is your access to everything, and badge pickup requires photo ID. Badges are not transferable. Las Vegas hotels, the LVCC and the Venetian Expo all have pickup points, including at the airport in recent years, which saves a trip across town on arrival day.

One practical point on pickup: collect your badge at the airport or your hotel pickup point on arrival day if you can, rather than at the LVCC on the first morning. First-morning queues at the main venue are the longest of the week, and a badge collected the night before turns Wednesday into a walk-in day instead of a queueing day. Keep your photo ID with the badge — spot checks happen at hall entrances, and a badge in someone else’s name will not get you through them.

The Venues: LVCC, Venetian Expo and the Rest of Las Vegas

CES is not one hall; it is effectively a small city. The Las Vegas Convention Center hosts the biggest booths in its Central, North, South and West halls — expect vehicle technology, large electronics brands and major displays there. The Venetian Expo hosts Eureka Park, the startup area where hundreds of young companies show prototypes, alongside health tech and smart home exhibits. Conference sessions and partner events run at ARIA and other hotels, and many companies hold private suites and evening events in hotels along the Strip.

Practical consequence: you will not see everything. The show floor covers millions of square feet, travel between venues takes time even with the free shuttle buses and the Las Vegas Monorail, and walking distances inside halls are large. Experienced attendees plan two or three priority areas per day and book meetings in the same venue block. Comfortable shoes are not a joke at CES; they are the most repeated piece of advice for a reason.

Getting Between Venues: Shuttles, Monorail and Where You Stay

You do not need to solve CES transport on your own — the show runs a large free shuttle network between the official venues and the official hotels, and two named routes cover most attendee journeys. The Tech Express (Route 9) links the LVCC and the Venetian Expo, the two exhibit campuses most people move between daily. The C Space Shuttle (Route 7) links ARIA with the LVCC and the Venetian, and is the route to know if your sessions are in the C Space programme. Shuttles run across the show days, roughly 5–9 January; expect the longest waits in the hour after the floors close, when everyone moves at once.

The Las Vegas Monorail is the other workhorse: its Convention Center and Harrah’s/The LINQ stations put you a short walk from the LVCC and the Venetian respectively, and it keeps moving when road traffic around the convention centre locks up. If your hotel is on the Monorail line, you can ignore most of the traffic problem entirely.

Finally, choose your hotel by campus, not just by price. Official show housing is handled by onPeak, and its listings are organised around the venues. If most of your meetings are at the LVCC and West Hall, stay near the LVCC or on the Monorail line. If your week centres on Eureka Park and the Venetian, stay near the Venetian. If you are mainly in C Space sessions, stay near ARIA. A cheaper room on the wrong side of the Strip costs you an hour a day in transit — across four show days, that is a working day lost to buses.

What to Expect at CES 2027

The 2027 edition marks 60 years since the first CES in 1967, so expect anniversary programming alongside the usual product cycles. Based on the direction of recent editions, the big themes are likely to include artificial intelligence built into everyday devices rather than shown as a separate category, vehicle and mobility technology, digital health, smart home and energy products, robotics, and new display and computing hardware. Treat that as an informed expectation, not an announcement: the official conference programme and keynote list are published by the CTA in the months before the show, and individual company launches are usually confirmed much closer to January.

What is certain is the rhythm of the week. Media days on 4–5 January carry many of the biggest press conferences, so the headlines start before the floor opens. The first show day is the busiest and most crowded; the final day, Saturday 9 January, is noticeably quieter and is often the best day for longer conversations at booths and for seeing popular exhibits without a queue.

CES 2027 Keynotes Announced So Far

Most of the keynote programme is still to be confirmed, and any page that gives you a complete list this early is guessing. Three major keynotes have been announced at the time of writing, however, and they already show the shape of the 2027 story — cars, autonomy and AI computing, all on the first show day.

Two of the three reward early planning. The Stellantis session opens the first morning, so anyone travelling in on Wednesday itself will miss it. The Lenovo event at Sphere is the week’s hardest seat: it is restricted to credentialed attendees with limited capacity, so if it matters to you, follow the organiser’s announcements about how places are allocated rather than assuming your badge alone guarantees entry.

Expect more keynote and Great Minds announcements through the autumn and into December, and expect the car and AI themes above to be joined by the big consumer electronics brands closer to the show. We will update this section as further speakers are confirmed. For context on where CES sits among the year’s other major industry gatherings, see our ranking of the top 10 tech conferences in the world for 2027.

How Much Does CES 2027 Cost to Attend?

Beyond registration, your main costs are flights, hotels and food — and Las Vegas prices surge during CES week. Hotel rates near the LVCC and on the central Strip rise well above normal January levels, and the closest properties sell out early. Booking through official show housing when it opens, or staying near a Monorail station a few stops away, usually gives the best balance of price and travel time. Budget also for rideshares at peak times, when surge pricing after the floor closes is routine.

A Worked Budget: Three Ways to Do CES 2027

Pass prices are only the start. The table below builds a realistic four-night trip budget for three common attendee profiles, using the published pass prices above and typical CES-week Las Vegas costs at the time of writing. Hotel and flight prices move fast during show week, so treat the ranges as planning figures, not quotes — and note that the same hotel room can cost half as much again if you book it in December instead of October.

The exhibitor line needs one honest caveat: the per-person figure excludes the real cost of exhibiting. Booth space, stand build, freight, power and staffing for even a small presence run into tens of thousands of dollars, which is why the Eureka Park startup area at the Venetian — designed for young companies at a fraction of main-floor cost — is where most first-time exhibitors start. If exhibiting is your goal rather than attending, apply early: startup places are reviewed and allocated well before the show, not sold on demand in January.

Whichever profile fits you, the two decisions that move the total most are the same: register before the 30 November price step, and book the hotel before the official blocks sell through. Everything else is fine-tuning.

For employers and exhibitors, costs scale up quickly: booth space, build, freight, staffing and hospitality are major investments, which is why most exhibiting companies finalise plans months ahead. Independent professionals attending for business development should go in with scheduled meetings; CES rewards planned agendas far more than wandering.

Tips for First-Time Attendees

Register and book accommodation as early as you can — both get more expensive and harder to change. Download the official CES app when it is released for the 2027 edition and build your schedule in it, grouping meetings by venue. Leave gaps: a realistic plan has three to four fixed commitments a day, not ten. Carry a portable charger, because your phone is your map, schedule and camera, and it will not last a full show day on one charge. Finally, plan your exit: McCarran — Harry Reid International Airport — is very busy on the final weekend, so allow extra time.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the dates for CES 2027?

CES 2027 runs from Wednesday 6 January to Saturday 9 January 2027 in Las Vegas. Media days take place on 4–5 January, before the exhibit floors open to all registered attendees.

Can the general public buy CES 2027 tickets?

No. CES is a trade-only event for people affiliated with the consumer technology industry, plus accredited media and exhibitors. Registration requires proof of industry affiliation, and there is no general public ticket.

Where is CES 2027 held?

The main venue is the Las Vegas Convention Center, with official exhibits and programming also at the Venetian Expo, ARIA and other Las Vegas venues. Free shuttles and the Monorail connect the main sites during show days.

How much does it cost to attend CES 2027?

Registration fees depend on the pass type and when you register, with conference packages costing more than an exhibits-only pass; check the official CES registration page for final 2027 pricing. Your larger costs will be flights and hotels, which surge during show week, so book early.

What will be announced at CES 2027?

Specific product launches and the keynote line-up are confirmed by the CTA and individual companies in the months and weeks before the show, so no complete list exists yet. Expect major themes around AI in everyday devices, vehicle technology, digital health, robotics and smart home products, based on recent editions.

How do I prove my industry affiliation for CES 2027?

During registration you will be asked for evidence that you work in or with the consumer technology industry. In practice, the organiser expects a combination of items rather than one magic document: a photo ID that matches your registration name, plus proof of affiliation such as an employer website listing you or your company, a business card or company email domain, recent published coverage if you are registering as media, or an exhibitor or trade-body connection. Verification is not instant for everyone — applications can sit in review, which is another reason to register early rather than in the final December rush. If an application is declined, the usual cause is that the affiliation evidence did not show a clear link to the industry, so a resubmission with stronger proof is worth more than an appeal with the same documents.

When does CES 2027 registration close, and can I register on-site?

Registration stays open through the show dates — the standard pricing tier runs to 9 January 2027 — and on-site registration and badge pickup exist for people whose plans change late. Treat that as a fallback, not a plan: you pay the highest pass price, you queue at the busiest moment of the week, and if your affiliation evidence needs review you may lose show time while it is checked. Registering online before you travel, even in the final week, is better than registering at the door.

Can I watch CES 2027 keynotes online if I cannot attend?

Partly. There is no single official livestream of the whole show, and the exhibit floor itself is not broadcast. What you can usually follow from home is the layer around it: major brands stream their own media-day press conferences on their own channels, keynote sessions are widely covered and often published as video by the organiser and the companies afterwards, and the technology press reports launches in near-real time across media days on 4–5 January. If your goal is product news, remote coverage serves you well. If your goal is meetings, partnerships or seeing products in person, there is no online substitute — which is exactly the trade-off the trade-only model is built on.

Conclusion

CES 2027, from 6–9 January in Las Vegas, remains the most important week in the consumer technology calendar — but it rewards insiders who plan early. Confirm your industry eligibility, register as soon as you can, book a hotel near transport, and build a realistic venue-by-venue schedule. If you cannot attend, follow the media-day announcements on 4–5 January, when most of the headline products are revealed.

For more major events to plan around, see our guide to Super Bowl LXI in February 2027, our ranking of the top 10 tech conferences in the world for 2027 and our worked breakdown of how much it costs to attend a business conference in the USA, or browse all our coverage in the Business category.