Every January, thousands of global industry leaders, decision-makers, buyers, media, investors and visionaries gather in Las Vegas at CES, the most powerful tech event in the world, to share and discover the latest innovations shaping the future of tech.
Owned and produced by the Consumer Technology Association (CTA), CES is where innovators show up and global business gets done. To provide trusted, high-quality event data and insights to its exhibitors, attendees and partners, each year CES participates in an annual audit by the Alliance for Audited Media, which also helps it earn certification as an approved event from UFI – the Global Association of the Exhibition Industry.
We recently spoke with CTA President Kinsey Fabrizio, to learn more about the show, why verified attendee data matters and how the audit aligns with the organization’s mission of providing trust and transparency to exhibitors and partners.
Fabrizio believes there are several elements that contribute to the event’s success: an interactive show floor, high-profile keynote speakers, strong programming and most importantly, high-quality attendees.
The 2025 show drew more than 142,000 attendees from 158 countries and territories to interact with more than 4,500 exhibitors. But Fabrizio stresses it’s not just the quantity that matters.
“It’s also understanding who was there and having the right attendees to interact with our exhibitors, sponsors and speakers. That really makes it a high-quality, fun and successful networking opportunity,” she said.
To ensure the data provided to sponsors and exhibitors is accurate and transparent, CES undergoes a third-party audit.
“We use the audit to tell the story of the value of exhibiting at CES,” she said. “Working with a third party helps us understand attendee data and demonstrate ROI to our customers and exhibitors.”
Fabrizio said going deeper than total attendance and providing demographics at a granular level helps exhibitors plan future participation and develop a sales strategy. Exhibitors, sponsors and partners don’t just want to know how many people walked through the doors — they need to understand who those attendees are, what industries they represent, what roles they hold and what regions they come from.
“Understanding the regions and the specific industries that are represented as well as the level of executive attending helps exhibitors better understand attendees, so they know the best way to follow up and engage with them after the show,” she said.
The verified data also helps exhibitors plan for future shows by uncovering new markets, developing new products to showcase and identifying opportunities with media and content creators.
“We share how many media attend CES, which is important for exhibitors who want to make an announcement during the show, such as unveiling a new product,” Fabrizio said. “Exhibitors want to make informed, data-backed decisions, and the audit is critical to helping them do that.”
Fabrizio encourages other event organizers to consider having an audit to strengthen their credibility and inform their event planning decisions.
“An audit shows your commitment to credibility and value and to helping your customers make good decisions,” she said. “It can also help you as a show organizer plan for the future. If you see 10,000 attendees coming from a specific region, you might plan specific networking opportunities [for that audience] or invite a keynote speaker from that region next year. The audit helps you base your decisions on quality, trusted data.”