CES 2025—the world’s largest tech show, which took place January 7-11 in Las Vegas—once again proved to be the premier global gathering place for technological innovation, hosting over 4.5K exhibitors and drawing 141K attendees from more than 150 countries. Beyond showcasing groundbreaking tech, it also served as testament to the evolution of sponsorships and activations in the world’s most influential industries.

Brand activations have always been a cornerstone of CES—exemplifying how strategic partnerships amplify brand storytelling and enhance the attendee experience. More than a trade show, CES provides a dynamic canvas where sponsors can demonstrate their industry leadership and dazzle a wide array of audiences.

This year’s show spotlighted the emerging trend of integrated sponsorships—and interactive activations in particular—which engaged and inspired showgoers. 

The CES Creator Space, presented by Sony, was a notable standout on the activation front. With a prime location in the central hall lobby of the Las Vegas Convention Center, the buzzing hub attracted a who’s-who of content creators, media professionals, and storytellers, successfully fulfilling Sony’s mission to unleash creativity through technology.

Among the highlights of the Creator Space:

• A Pinterest-sponsored stage, where the platform—celebrated for inspiring creators worldwide with all varieties of visual content—hosted sessions for attendees to explore content ideation and visual storytelling techniques.
• Collaborations with Roblox, Dubit, and Creator.co, which championed the fusion of technology and creativity with demonstrations of cutting-edge tools and platforms driving creator success.
• Workstations and recording pods designed to empower storytellers and help creators bring their visions to life while test-driving Sony’s latest innovations.

Pinterest extended its reach beyond the Creator Space with its interactive lounge at the Blue Ribbon restaurant in The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas. Guests could try their luck at the Funnel Vision slot machine—a nod to the event’s Sin City setting—which offered players a chance to win a visit to the Sphere while learning how Pinterest drives performance at each stage of the marketing funnel. Meanwhile, an interactive Collage Studio encouraged attendees to try Pinterest’s cutting-edge collaging feature, which lets users cut, combine, and layer images into interactive Pins—deftly illustrating the brand’s knack for melding visionary entertainment with savvy marketing.

FTX has taken their talents to CES 2022 with activations featuring multiple NFT’s. During 2021, FTX sponsorship deals increased 1,600% from 2020 while securing deals across many different industries and leagues. Some of the more notable deals they have are a venue naming rights deal with the Miami Heat, umpire jersey patch sponsorship with the MLB, and deals with more than 20 athletes which include future Hall of Famers Tom Brady, David Ortiz and Stephen Curry.

The FTX deal with the NBA's Miami Heat consists of more than 20 unique sponsorship assets that include interior TV-visible Signage, press conference backdrop logo placement and a sponsored attendee virtual take home item. As fans entered the arena, they were given the opportunity to scan a QR code to receive a free FTX Arena NFT along with a free “You In, Miami?” T-shirt.

According to SponsorUnited’s MLB Marketing & Partnerships Annual Report, FTX was the most searched brand by MLB executives on the SponsorUnited platform during the 2021 season. As we look ahead to 2022, will FTX expand their current MLB sponsorship with various teams throughout the league? We can't help but think so.

Day 2 of CES 2022 saw cars that fly, yes, flying cars, produced by Kyocera SLD Laser while also showcasing their new world record for “LiFi Communications."

Continuing our drive through CES, Stellantis, who has a recent partnership with Amazon, showcased their new cars which include the Amazon Web Services software as the cloud provider for the vehicles. These cars are expected to launch in 2024. Stellantis also has partnerships with BMW, Foxconn & Waymo with the end goal of reaching 34 million connected cars on the road by 2030.

Volvo will be releasing a new self driving car named the "Ride Pilot". Although no date of release has been announced yet, the car will be debuted in California. Volvo, an international auto brand, has over 30 sponsorships across the globe including Serie A team, Inter Milan, and the NHL Boston Bruins.

Fisker Inc. headquartered in California showcased their Fisker Ocean electric SUV that includes the first ever Digital-Imaging Radar system within a car. Production is set to begin in November 2022. Fisker Inc. currently has out of home signage in California within the San Francisco and Los Angeles Markets.