Consumer Electronics Show 2017
Post by Vivian Fang ’17
What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas … except for all the AMAZING KNOWLEDGE AND INNOVATIVE IDEAS that I was exposed to thanks to #CES2017. For those who don’t know, CES (Consumer Electronics Show) is the biggest tech convention in the United States, with approximately 170,000 attendees, that takes place on the first weekend of every calendar year in Las Vegas, Nevada. This year some of the main highlights of the trade show included autonomous vehicles, OLED TVs, virtual reality and drones.
It was extremely eye opening for me to see how much technology has shifted towards self-automation and artificial intelligence. Mark Fields, the CEO of Ford Motor Company, actually said that Ford will be rolling out their fully autonomous vehicles in 2020, aka in 3 short years. The idea used to scare me, but CES has shown me that you can’t stop technology from evolving and innovating – all you can really do is make sure that it is being used to enhance our lives in the right ways.
The highlight of the convention was definitely being able to hear from Kevin Plank – the founder and CEO of Under Armour. It was not only inspiring, but also so motivating being able to hear his life story – about how he was able to turn the idea of one t-shirt into a $14 billion dollar clothing empire in just 20 years. All he had to start with was the curiosity and determination to find the answer to one simple issue that he had identified in his everyday life – sweaty cotton football shirts. Kevin Plank is someone who I believe to be the definition of an entrepreneur and is someone who I greatly admire and aspire to be like some day.
#CES2017 has given me a renewed sense of enthusiasm to embrace the entrepreneurial spirit that Babson fosters, and take calculated risks to pursue things that I am passionate about. Thank you Babson and the Undergraduate Professional Accelerator Fund for providing me with this incredible opportunity to gain more insight and knowledge into the world of technology.
