--- title: "Viva Las Outlets: How Vegas Charged Up for CES" id: "26684" type: "post" slug: "viva-las-outlets-how-vegas-charged-up-for-ces" published_at: "2015-01-06T21:02:35+00:00" modified_at: "2026-03-16T13:18:27+00:00" url: "https://associationsnow.com/2015/01/06/viva-las-outlets-how-vegas-charged-up-for-ces/" markdown_url: "https://associationsnow.com/2015/01/06/viva-las-outlets-how-vegas-charged-up-for-ces.md" excerpt: "Considering the scale of the Consumer Electronics Show, Las Vegas has its work cut out for it each year. But at least Sin City's major airport is up to the task, thanks (in part) to a ton of new outlets." taxonomy_category: - "Meetings / Events" taxonomy_post_tag: - "AssociationsNow" - "industry partners" - "IT Infrastructure" - "Live Events" - "Media" - "Meetings" - "Technology" taxonomy_content_format: - "Article" taxonomy_role: - "Association CEO / Executive Director" - "Executive Team" - "For-Profit CEO / President / Owner / Partner" taxonomy_persona: - "Industry Professionals" --- [Home](https://associationsnow.com/) » [Articles](https://associationsnow.com/format/article/) » Viva Las Outlets: How Vegas Charged Up for CES As any traveler will tell you, a constant challenge in airports is finding an outlet to charge up your devices while you’re waiting for your flight. Often it means sitting on the floor, away from your gate, noshing on whatever food is closest to that outlet, trying to get some work done. If it sounds stressful, that’s because it is. Now imagine how crazy that must be if you’re heading to Las Vegas for the [Consumer Electronics Show (opens in a new tab)](http://www.cesweb.org/) , an event where everyone is guaranteed to have a device or six. It’s a big challenge, but the staff at Vegas’ McCarran International Airport have put big bucks into making things less painful for those traveling to the city for the event, taking place today through January 9. The airport added 500 separate charging stations under seats throughout Terminal 1. Those stations have two outlets each, along with two USB ports. More power upgrades are coming, too, [according to the Associated Press (opens in a new tab)](http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2015/01/04/us/ap-us-gadget-show-tech-city.html) —at a cost of $400,000. And rather than getting stuck charging up in a spot they’d never sit otherwise, travelers will be able to find places to plug in at restaurants, in bars—you know, places where folks like to spend their wait time. The outlet installation is among a variety of improvements the city is making for attendees to its largest annual tradeshow—one that gets more power- and bandwidth-hungry every year. McCarran came early to the free WiFi game a decade ago, and since then, city officials have been adding regular upgrades. Vegas [turned on free wireless access (opens in a new tab)](http://www.reviewjournal.com/business/downtown-las-vegas-free-wi-fi-turned) in downtown areas in 2013, for example, and the Las Vegas Convention Center has recently upgraded its internet service. The Consumer Electronics Association, which puts on the show every year, is noticing—and appreciating—the improvements. They show that Vegas is keeping up with the pace of technology. “We tend to push the limits of everything,” CEA Senior Vice President Karen Chupka noted. (iStock/Thinkstock) [Ernie Smith](https://associationsnow.com/author/ernie-smith/) Ernie Smith is a former senior editor for Associations Now. [More articles by this author](https://associationsnow.com/author/ernie-smith/) Tags: [#industry partners](https://associationsnow.com/tag/industry-partners/) [#IT Infrastructure](https://associationsnow.com/tag/it-infrastructure/) [#Live Events](https://associationsnow.com/tag/live-events/) [#Media](https://associationsnow.com/tag/media/) [#Meetings](https://associationsnow.com/tag/meetings/) [#Technology](https://associationsnow.com/tag/technology/) **Stay Informed** [Subscribe to our free newsletter](https://associationsnow.com/newsletter/) , *Associations Now Daily News*, to find out what’s happening in the association world every business day. ## You Might Like - [PodcastAssociations NOW Presents: All for the Love of Chicago: Rethinking the Destination ExperienceSeptember 10, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/09/10/associations-now-presents-all-for-the-love-of-chicago-rethinking-the-destination-experience/) - [PodcastAssociations NOW Presents: Milwaukee’s Rise as a Meetings DestinationJune 11, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/06/11/associations-now-presents-milwaukees-rise-as-a-meetings-destination/) - [VideoExploring New Frontiers: Leadership, Resilience and the Future of SpaceflightAugust 27, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/08/27/exploring-new-frontiers-leadership-resilience-and-the-future-of-spaceflight/) - [VideoMessage from Gordon Taylor III, Chief Sales Officer for Destination ClevelandMay 17, 2024](https://associationsnow.com/2024/05/17/message-from-gordon-taylor-iii-chief-sales-officer-for-destination-cleveland/) ## Comments **Comments are for ASAE members.** [Learn more about comments on this site.](https://associationsnow.com/comments/) [Log in](https://associationsnow.com/login?redirect_to=https%3A%2F%2Fassociationsnow.com%2F2015%2F01%2F06%2Fviva-las-outlets-how-vegas-charged-up-for-ces%2F%23comments) to your member account or [join ASAE](https://my.asaecenter.org/select-a-membership-type/) !