Thousands of brands show up to CES. A much smaller number give you something to talk about after the badge comes off. These five did, each with a different playbook and a very good reason to earn a superlative.
1. Most Immaculate Vibes: The Female Quotient
For over a decade, the Female Quotient has been a fixture of the CES experience, expanding its presence as the Official Equality Partner of the event. What began as a women's show floor tour has evolved to include an Equality Lounge at the ARIA and a co-sponsored, invite-only CTA Women in Tech Brunch. Their welcoming, no-badge-required lounge space invites connection and conversation through panel sessions, a charm bar, beauty bar, and networking opportunities over coffee or cocktails. To top it all off, FQ brings its empowered energy to the exhibit halls through its annual Women Walk the Floor Tour, hosting over 350 guests.
2. Most Immersive Story: AARP
AARP delivered one of the most engaging immersive experiences on the floor, guiding attendees through an interactive exploration of the future of aging. Visitors began by stepping through a series of tunnels leading them into glowing rooms designed to spark curiosity and reflection. They moved from a gallery with voiceover storytelling to a space where interactive dials controlled immersive digital content, and finally to a series of data displays tied to a quiz. By the end, participants had experienced what the nonprofit has in the works and taken away thoughtful insights about aging tech.
3. Biggest Little Exhibit: Lava
Lava brought a sugar rush to North Hall, enchanting attendees like kids in a candy store. Tucked among a sea of mid-sized booths, the brand debuted one of the show's buzziest gadgets: Lollipop Star, a candy that plays music inside your head through bone-conduction technology. With a colorful, playful exhibit and appearances from influencers and celebrities like Akon, Lava proved that even small booths can turn heads and make headlines.
4. Best Use of Crowdsourcing: eBay
Where brand recognizability is concerned, eBay might just be royalty. Spotted easily by their signature chromatics, the eBay experience at CES this year was a small footprint anchored by a heavyweight insight: whatever you're looking for, you can, and almost certainly have, found it on eBay. eBay's yellow "Things People Love" wall asked attendees to reminisce about their favorite eBay purchase, snap a Polaroid in front of the wall, and pen in their answer, effectively delivering the experience's message on eBay's behalf. Answers ranged from expected to esoteric, of course, but each smiling snap reinforced the brand's credibility, humanity, and ubiquity.
5. Best All-around Exhibit: LG
The judges at the Experiential Design Authority's CES BOSS Awards called the 110-by-300-foot LG Electronics exhibit a meticulously choreographed brand environment, one where ambition met operational discipline. From the moment guests crossed the threshold, a layered narrative of large-scale visuals and spatial storytelling distilled complex innovation into moments that felt intuitive, human, and unmistakably LG. Crowds lined both sides of the aisle to capture the next-generation displays, including a remarkably thin 9mm screen, while the floating-screen entry, transparent OLED installations, and Rube Goldberg-style wall blurred the line between digital art and physical space. LG left Las Vegas with more than 139 product awards, and the exhibit itself took home a Gold Award at the 2026 CES BOSS (Best of Show Stand) Awards, its second BOSS win in as many years.
The Wrap-up
Five brands, five very different ways to make an impression. The common thread was clarity: know who you’re talking to, give them something worth doing, and make the experience earn its footprint. Big booth optional. Good idea required.
Want to put these insider strategies to work in your next CES brand experience? Drop us a line.
