The Las Vegas Monorail was one of many vehicles that helped display innovative technology during the 50th annual CES convention, which took place Jan. 5-8.
With an estimated 175,000 attending the largest gathering of innovation and connectivity in the world, many participants took advantage of the ability to use their CES badges for fast and convenient access to public transportation. Las Vegas Monorail partnered with technology innovator NXP Semiconductors to set up a customized link that allowed registered attendees to prepay for transportation tickets.
During the show, attendees also were able to add a Las Vegas Monorail ticket to their badges through the NXP AppXplorer mobile application from the Google Play store or by visiting the NXP tent at the Las Vegas Convention Center. Onsite, NXP embedded the fare into attendees’ registration badges with the help of event solution provider ITN International.
“To offer a seamless customer experience, we were pleased to partner with NXP to make the transportation experience on the Monorail even more hassle-free for attendees,” says Ingrid Reisman, vice president and chief marketing officer for Las Vegas Monorail. “No more need to hunt through wallets and handbags for Monorail tickets—their CES badges enables them to scan their badge and ride the Monorail.”
CES drew more than 3,800 exhibiting companies, requiring the use of 2.6 million sq. ft. of exhibition space. Among the record-breaking number of attendees, 55,000 came from outside the United States.
Attendees included government officials and celebrities from around the world.
Notable political leaders in attendance included His Royal Highness Prince Constantijn of the Netherlands; Francois Fillon, French presidential candidate; Axelle Lemaire, France’s Deputy Minister for Innovation and Digital Affairs; Henk Kamp, Dutch Minister of Economic Affairs; Jaime Reyes Robles, Secretary of Innovation, Science and Technology, Government of the State of Jalisco, Mexico; Adebayo Shittu, Nigeria’s Honourable Minister of Communications; Navdeep Bains, Canada’s Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development; Brad Duguid, Canada’s Ontario Minister of Economic Development and Growth; and Matt Hancock MP, Minister of State for Digital and Culture, Department for Culture, Media and Sport, UK Government.
“CES 2017 shifted to a new level as large and small companies from around the globe gathered to reveal solutions for many of our world’s most challenging problems,” says Gary Shapiro, president and CEO, Consumer Technology Association. “Our industry is bettering the world through connectivity and innovation, touching literally every facet of our lives. Today’s connected world was on full display this week at CES 2017–our largest, boldest show in history.”
Las Vegas Monorail is just one example of how the city relies on technology to make meetings as convenient as possible. In March, attendees of CONEXPO-CON/AGG will be the first to have the Las Vegas Monorail fare integrated into the cost of registration. Attendees will receive a three-day pass and exhibitors will receive a seven-day pass, with the fare built right into their badges.
Las Vegas Monorail has about 5 million riders annually, 19 percent of whom are convention visitors. That equals nearly 1 million convention riders a year, a number that is sure to increase with the ability to add prepaid fares to badges.
