I used to dread January.
It felt like that time of the year when you reset the counters and get back in the rat race. A time when you double your efforts without seeing the impact – yet.
It felt like shoveling in a snowstorm!
The best illustration of this harsh reality for me was a particular event. The first month of the year was indeed synonymous with CES (the Consumer Electronics Show).
At first, it felt great to have your important partners and clients all in the very same place. But, CES meant at least five days stuck in the Las Vegas Strip area. And soon, the long lines, the crowds, the never-lowering decibels, the shared germs would all take a toll on my mental and physical health.
I’d leave the CES Show voiceless, exhausted, often sick, and in real need of a vacation!
Interestingly enough, after almost two years of the pandemic, I’m turning nostalgic of these in-person CES years!
The event acted as a forcing function that provided alignment across the board. Both internally and externally. Both with suppliers, partners, customers, and influencers.
In other words, CES was a necessary evil that gave us the best outlook into how the year would unfold and what to watch for.
We also learned to handle all the temporary pain inflicted by the event. Our teams learned how to optimize the time spent there through the years.
We did it by moving away from the exhibition hall and creating a high-touch quality experience for our visitors in upscale hotel suites. We organized limo service to hop from meeting to meeting stress-free. Anticipating and making reservations way in advance and ensuring our hotel rooms would be in the same building as our business suites.
These tiny details made a world of difference and paved the way for a successful year.
The moral I’m drawing from this CES story is that a big catalyst activity can help you successfully start your new year if appropriately managed. You might hate it for all the reasons I already shared, but it will act as an alignment force.
I’m not sure CES will survive our newly formed habits by the COVID tsunami.
There’s one thing I know, however. Most consumer electronics companies are eager to have a pivotal platform or event of some sort to kick off their year with all key players at their fingertips.
So, step back a moment, and think of what happened to the significant reference events that shaped your industry and business dynamics.
What are these reference activities?
What’s shaping up and potentially replacing them?
How can you adapt and optimize the outcome for you and your business?
Dig further. And if you ever find yourself stuck at some point, feel free to reach out to me at tanguy@theproductsherpa.com. I’ll gladly help you decrypt and learn how to take advantage of the new dynamics.