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For tech entrepreneurs, exhibiting their new app or gadget at the International Consumer Electronics Show can be the opportunity of a lifetime. This is where all the top companies, innovators, press, investors and others gather every year to see the latest and greatest in technology. Get noticed here and it can mean instant national and global exposure.
That's the idea, anyway.
Last year, the founders of Boulder, Colo.-based Ubooly learned a few real-world lessons when they traveled to CES in hopes of gaining big-time exposure. Ubooly, in case you haven't seen one yet, is a smartphone-powered stuffed animal that children can use to play and learn.
While they opted not to pony up tens of thousands of dollars for an exhibitor booth, they purchased airfare, hotel rooms and tickets to the show, planning to walk the convention center floor with their stuffed toy in hand, wearing cute matching hats. Like everyone else, they hoped to get some attention and search for potential partners.
Just like everyone else. The reality: while you're at CES with hopes and dreams of being the next big thing, so are hundreds of other companies and entrepreneurs. The Ubooly team realized quickly that their strategy was flawed.