FUSE + CES Through the Years
As our team is busy getting ready for CES 2019, we’ve been thinking about our work at this event over the years. We’ll be at this year’s CES event and can’t wait to check out 2019’s most innovative tech and design.
In this look back post, we’re talking about CES and our partnership with Sleep Number. We’re also highlighting some of the coolest exhibits we’ve helped create.
What is CES and Why is it Such a Big Deal?
The Consumer Electronics Show (CES) is an annual tech trade show produced by the Consumer Technology Association (CTA). The CTA represents the US’s $292 billion consumer tech industry.
CES brings in over 180,000 attendees worldwide and showcases over 4,500 company exhibits. Since 1967, companies have attended CES to debut their newest innovations. In fact, some of the most innovative tech has been released here, from interactive CDs and VCRs to Microsoft’s Xbox and 3D printers. It’s an incredible event.
Companies use CES to release their messaging for the coming year. Attendees gain a sneak peek at the newest tech from top companies around the world, from home appliances to robotics and drones. It’s a fantastic opportunity for both companies and audiences to come together and see what’s possible.
CES 2014 and 2015: Our Creative Partnership with Sleep Number
We’ve been partnering with Sleep Number since 2012, when they asked us to create an animation for their upcoming product launch. They loved our work so much that the single project evolved into a long-standing creative partnership. We continued to build photorealistic 3D images and animations for their products.
When Sleep Number decided to exhibit at CES 2014, they asked for our help creating visual assets for their booth.
Their first exhibit at CES 2014 featured the new adjustable X12 bed with Sleep IQ tech that tracks sleep patterns. Using this data, the tech then offers “optimal setting recommendations” for the mattress.
Since Sleep Number couldn’t put every attendee in a bed to try it out, the FUSE team created 3D renderings of the X12 to show off its adjustable features.
The exhibit was such a success that Sleep Number has brought us on every year since to create trade show visuals that leave a lasting impression on audiences.
The following year, at CES 2015, Sleep Number debuted the Sleep IQ Kids Bed. This mattress is outfitted with the same Sleep IQ tech as their X12 but offers adjustable firmness that can “grow” with your child.
The Sleep IQ Kids bed also featured a motion-sensor night light beneath the bed and a remote function for turning a nightstand lamp on or off (helping parents take control of bedtime again!).
CES 2016: The It Bed and an Unexpected CES Guest
Sleep Number debuted the It Bed at CES 2016, a new smart mattress that customers could ship right to their homes. FUSE partnered with them again to create exciting, engaging visuals for the exhibit.
2016 was also the first year that FUSE attended CES. While there, we snagged these great shots of the Sleep Number booth and a surprise speaker.
To make sure the visuals were perfect, Sleep Number flew our creative director Josh Grundmeier out to LA to oversee the video shoot before the event.
There, he acted as Creative Tech Director on set and helped plan out the action shots and other footage we needed. He brought it back, and our team used it to create assets for their booth.
CES 2017: Creating an Interactive Ride to Remember
In 2016, Sleep Number came to us with a new, challenging project for the upcoming CES 2017. At the annual event, they would debut their new Sleep Number 360™ smart bed.
Sleep Number really wanted to show off the bed’s incredible new features. What better way than with an interactive ride? With this, customers could experience the smart bed for themselves.
The interactive ride was amazing.
As people lay down on the beds, our ride video played above their heads. The smart bed was programmed to respond to specific moments in our video and would adjust itself accordingly. As the bed moved, the video explained what the revolutionary smart bed could do.
In addition to the smart bed ride video, we also created various other animated and video assets for the rest of their booth.
Sleep Number’s booth at CES 2017 stole the show. They won 13 prestigious awards, including The Best of CES 2017 (by multiple publications). In addition, their smart bed was a 2017 CES Best of Innovation honoree.
CES 2018: The Future of Sleep
At CES 2018, Sleep Number offered visitors a look at the future of health and wellness. Their new smart beds are fitted with powerful and improved biometric sleep tracking tech (Sleep IQ). They can even automatically adjust to stop you from snoring!
This beautiful, inviting booth featured huge LED screens playing abstract videos. As people tested out their latest sleep products, data lifted from the beds would display on the screen overhead. FUSE developed the projection mapping on the booth’s ceiling, along with those wide aspect display videos.
Sleep Number’s smart bed was awarded “Best of Innovation” Honoree in the home appliances category this year.
CES 2019 and Beyond
We’re back at it again this year! The FUSE team will once again be heading out to Vegas to attend CES 2019. We’ve been hard at work the past few months creating incredible visuals for Sleep Number’s upcoming exhibit. Though we can’t release any other info about it, it’s safe to say they’ll be wowing audiences again.
We will be posting updates, sharing images and videos, and more during CES 2019, so stay tuned. Follow us on our social channels and check in on the website. If you’re going to be attending CES 2019, drop us a line! We’d love to meet up and chat.
Update: CES 2019 was an amazing experience! We saw rollable screens, autonomous helper robots, and smart devices connected to everything.
Read all about our take on this year’s event in our “The Tech is New, but CES 2019 Is Still About the Experience” blog post.
