CES B2B and Enterprise IT Tech Sessions
Branching out from its roots as the Consumer Electronics Show, the annual tech conference stakes a claim to being the “premier platform” for Enterprise and B2B
B2B Tech at CES 2025
Despite starting as the “Consumer Electronics Show” hosted by the Consumer Technology Association, CES (an abbreviation that no longer stands for anything) has expanded its lineup to include business topics and showcase the “entire tech landscape at one event.” Though it is primarily known as a consumer conference, the event now incorporates some B2B tech sessions and invites exhibitors to show off enterprise technologies on the show floor.
CES claims that 81% of 2024 attendees had a B2B customer base, and 21K+ attendees listed enterprise tech as an interest. CTA even boldly claims that “CES is the premier platform for Enterprise and B2B technology companies to showcase their innovations.”
But is this really the case?
What is CES?
CES is an annual event hosted by the Consumer Technology Association (CTA), which aims to help “technology leaders connect, collaborate, and propel consumer technology forward.” In 2024, the massive conference attracted an estimated 135,000 attendees and 4,000+ exhibitors, with the CTA promoting CES as a place “where the world’s business leaders and pioneering thinkers address the industry’s most relevant issues.”
Which B2B Information Technology topics does CES cover?
In 2025, approximately two dozen B2B-focused tech sessions were scheduled at CES, including several on IT security-related topics. We’ve listed summaries of several business-centric topics featured on the 2025 CES website.
- Cybersecurity – Insights on ways small and medium-sized businesses can protect their supply chain, data, and customers against increasing cyber threats.
- IT Security skills gaps – How businesses can cope with rising demand for security talent and sourcing workers from a limited talent pool by cultivating and developing the next generation of cyber talent.
- IoT security – A discussion on the importance of securing all three layers of the IoT stack: Devices, networks, and platforms.
- Artificial Intelligence in the workplace – How generative AI can transform processes, business models, and some entire industries.
- 5G connectivity – Exploring ways organizations can use 5G to push enterprise goals.
These topics broadly align with many trends Spiceworks and Aberdeen Strategy & Research have uncovered in recent studies. For example, the State of IT report recently revealed that in 2025, security concerns will be the top driver of planned IT budget growth, and generative AI is the technology most likely to see increased spending. Hiring managers in Spiceworks are also reporting IT skills gaps: Most senior tech leaders (57%) believe hiring IT talent is difficult currently.
CES: Everything to everybody in tech?
With myriad tech conference options available, how do you pick the right B2B tech event for you? If you work in IT, CES does have some B2B-focused sessions, but does that justify the time and expense (A full conference pass was $1,700 in 2025) of traveling to Las Vegas for the event?
Why CES might be the right B2B tech event for you
Hosting a large event with attendee numbers the size of medium-sized city populations is a huge task. CES holds hundreds of sessions, sets up thousands of vendor booths, and hosts the event across multiple convention centers in Las Vegas to ensure there’s a little bit of something for everyone interested in technology.
If the speakers and exhibitors you want to interact with are attending CES, you’re interested in hearing about a wide breadth of tech topics, and you’re willing to navigate large crowds, CES might be a good fit. Additionally, many B2C and B2B tech companies like to save their big product launches and announcements for CES, and being there in person can give you access to the latest and greatest offerings and news in real-time.
Why CES might be the wrong B2B tech event for you
The Enterprise IT sessions at CES only comprise ~10% of the overall programming lineup, including topics as varied as tech in fitness, beauty, fashion, food, tourism, drones, NFTs, kitchen appliances, eSports, and digital health.
If you prefer a more focused event that’s centered solely on B2B tech and information technology, you might get more out of an event that speaks more directly to your needs. With any huge event, it’s hard to feel like you’re getting a personal experience when you’re just one of hundreds of thousands of people trying to experience the same thing.
At smaller, more low-key events (such as the SpiceWorld IT conference), it’s easier to “find your people” and have more direct interactions without getting lost in the crowd.
Is CES the “premier platform” for B2B Tech?
Probably not. While including business-focused sessions at CES is a welcome move at the formerly consumer-oriented event, B2B and Enterprise IT are certainly not the main coverage areas.
Along with the panel discussions on cybersecurity and AI at CES, exhibitors will tout their latest and greatest robot vacuums, fitness trackers, kitchen appliances, hair dryers, and quirky robotic toys that don’t belong in the workplace.
CES might cover “the entire tech landscape at one event,” but when you try to be everything to everyone in tech, and every tech vendor is trying to make announcements all at once, the conference will lack a sharp focus.
If that’s what you’re looking for in an event and want to experience a wide range of business and consumer technologies, CES might be the right tech conference for you. However, CES won’t be the right event for everyone, especially if you want to focus primarily on B2B technology and Enterprise IT.
