The Consumer Electronics Association thinks you’re going to open up your pocketbooks a little more this year. According to their Holiday Retail Sales Forecast, overall sales will increase by 4%.
A full report on the retail trends forecast for the holidays 2013 period will be released at CEA’s Industry Forum held in Century City, October 22.
That’s just one of the highlights for the event. Other notable sessions include a delving into the purchasing habits of women, teens and seniors; a discussion with top tech startups; and rapid prototyping enabled by 3D printing.
Of particular note is a discussion of five technology sectors projected to play an important role in shaping the technology industry in the years to come. Certainly wearable tech is attaining curiosity right now although not all of it is favorable. The aforementioned Forecast predicts a surge on mobile purchases this holiday season, increasing to 30% and 8 billion. Another possibility for a tech field to watch is Connected Home which has been slow to catch on as of yet.
CEA’s Industry Forum will be a good lead up to January’s mega CES 2014 in Las Vegas.
Running at the same time are two other entertainment technology events, Digital Hollywood and SMPTE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition.
Held in Marina Del Rey, Digital Hollywood focuses on issues in adapting to the ever-changing technology including advertising, content production, and financing. A new conference track, Hollywood For Social Change has been added. Hispanics in entertainment and Women in entertainment also have programming tracks. Attendees are free to pick and choose the sessions that interest them.
The event is co-located with the Variety Entertainment and Technology Summit. The event brings heavyweights from studios such as Lionsgate, FX, Syfy, Youtube, Honda, and EW. Rob Thomas, Jay Duplass, Marc Graboff, Kevin Beggs, and Greg Silverman are just some of the power players in attendance.
The Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers annual conference has thoroughly informative discussions on 4K, pixilation, Ultra High Definition TV, stereoscopic 3D imaging, and high frame rates. There are a multitude of paper presentations such as on Video Processing in an FPGA-enabled Ethernet Switch and Playout Automation in a Virtual Environment. That might go over the head for many, but fear not, SMPTE knows how to let their hair down. A jam session and rockin’ parties are on tap. Last year, attendees were treated to a private tour of the Dolby Theater.
With the ever-changing technology, it’s essentials for those in entertainment to keep informed. While three simultaneous conferences on the topic may seem like overkill, it’s becoming increasingly necessary for industry players to stay informed and connected.