Consumer tech events of 2013

2013 promises to be another landmark year in consumer technology with everything from television sets to family car interiors getting a high-tech makeover. The fun will begin as always at CES in January where the world's leading technology companies and a growing number of car makers will stand side by side to show the public the groundbreaking innovations that are destined to become mainstream realities in the future. As well as an increased focus on mobile devices and new uses for them, expect a renewed focus on the connected home and green technologies focused on making our living spaces even more comfortable, technological and yet environmentally friendly. More information about all of these events and other key dates in 2013 can be found below.

47th International CES
January 8-11
Las Vegas Convention Center/Las Vegas Hilton
Las Vegas, NV, USA

Consumer electronics expo International CES has been running since 1967 and is one of the biggest events of its kind in the world. Each year the event attracts over 126,000 visitors and some of the biggest names in electronics and consumer tech and is frequently used as a launching pad for the latest gadgets. This year is no exception and the event will focus on the hottest innovations in emerging technology, high-performance audio, lifestyle electronics and green initiatives. The Las Vegas event will stretch over 1.8 million square feet and is expected to receive up to 150,000 visitors and showcase 3000 exhibitors.
http://www.cesweb.org

MacWorld iWorld
January 31- February 2
Moscone Center West
San Francisco Ca
USA

Billed as the ultimate fan event this is less of a conference and more of a pilgrimage but, for those who want to know what Apple's next big thing is going to be, there's no better place to go. Boasting over 60 hands-on workshops as well as a film festival and live music, it's little wonder that the show attracts over 25,000 visitors a year.
http://www.macworldiworld.com/

Mobile World Congress
February 25-28
Fira Gran Via
Barcelona, Spain

Attracting over 67,000 attendees in 2012, the event is dedicated to understanding where mobile technology is going next and what impact it will have on our lives. Combining keynote speeches from thought leaders with demonstrations of the latest hardware, software and apps, the event has very quickly extablished itself as one of the most important of its kind on the industry calendar.
http://www.mobileworldcongress.com/2013-preview/

CeBIT 2013
March 5-9
Exhibition Grounds, Hannover
Hannover, Germany

The focus for this year's CeBit will be the "Shareconomy" -- the societal shift from owning to sharing and the role of the cloud in this change. Despite declining in stature since its heyday when over 700,000 visitors would attend, CeBIT, with its 450,000 square meter exhibition space, remains the largest digital, IT and telecommunications event in the world. Just like in 2012, this year's edition of CeBIT will be subdivided into the following four sections: CeBIT Pro, CeBIT Lab, CeBIT Life and CeBIT Gov and boasts Poland as its Official Partner Country for 2013.
http://www.cebit.de/homepage_e

61st Hannover Messe
April 8-12
Hanover fairground
Hanover, Germany

Hannover Messe is the world's biggest industrial fair and is home to over 4,500 the latest industrial technology innovations spanning the fields of energy, mobility and ‘green' tech. The Hannover Messe fair itself is, this year, composed of 11 different interrelated trade shows all unified under the banner of integrated industry.
http://www.hannovermesse.de/homepage_e

The Gadget Show Live
April 3-7
National Exhibition Centre,
Birmingham, UK

Promising a combination of live technology show, demonstrations and product launches, the Gadget Show Live is the biggest consumer exhibition of its kind in the UK and boasts over 280 stands selling products so high-tech that they're often months ahead of official market launch plus a home innovation village that will showcase the gadgets that will connect the smart homes of tomorrow.
http://www.thenec.co.uk/whatson/gadgetshowlive

Computex Taipei
June 4-8
Taipei World Trade Center
Taiwan

The largest computer exhibition in Asia, Computex is now in its 33rd year. Drawing companies, tech experts, journalists and members of the public from all four corners of the globe, the organizers claim that this year's event will be key to understanding the future trends in the smartphone and tablet markets, and how technology is shaping the development of the automobile
http://www.computextaipei.com.tw/en_US/index.html

IDEF
Interactive and Digital Entertainment Festival
June 25-27
Palais des Festivals
Cannes, France

Dedicated to video game professionals, in just a few short years this event has firmly established itself on the map, attracting industry figures from around the world. Based in Cannes, the location gives the event a distinctly European feel.
http://en.idefexpo.com/Visit

53rd IFA
September 6 - 11
Messe Berlin GmbH exhibition center
Berlin, Germany

IFA is still one of the biggest consumer electronics shows and in 2012 attracted 240,000 visitors and generated 3.8 billion euros of orders. The event is used as a launchpad for many new innovative consumer appliances from some of the biggest names in electronics and expect this year to be no exception.
www.ifa-berlin.com/

Futura 2013
September 19-22
Messezentrum
Salzburg, Austria

The place to come to see the future of entertainment technology -- from small electronic appliances to digital photography and telecommunications. Now in its 13th year, FUTURA represents a key event on the tech calendar for gauging tech trends and identifying the ‘next big thing' to sweep the European market.
http://www.futuramesse.at/en/findus/exhibitioncentre/

CEATEC Japan 2013
October 1-5
Makuhari Messe
Nippon Convention Centre
Tokyo, Japan

CEATEC is split into three zones: Lifestyle and society; key technologies; and ICT and last year attracted over 160,000 visitors. Dedicated to showcasing technologies and solutions that conserve energy, connect individuals, improve society and increase mobility, CEATEC is the event to view the latest Japanese innovations and understand how they will make a difference in the future in terms of consumers, lifestyle and business.
http://www.ceatec.com/2012/en/index.html