Indiana’s friend list grew substantially thanks to partnerships and residents showing up to support at the 2023 Consumer Electronic show. Over 100,000 people attended the Las Vegas convention center and surrounding area to explore the technological advancements. This marked the second year of the IEDC’s partnership with the Indy Autonomous Challenge which held its annual challenge at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Friends of Indiana

In partnership with IU Ventures, the IEDC hosted a post-show event that featured music performance, networking, and remarks by Chief of Staff David Rosenberg on Indiana’s future and 2022 accomplishments. Over 150 friends of Indiana included Indiana residents attending CES, IU’s MBA cohort, and Indiana business owners. Attendees were encouraged to connect to extend helpful advice, words of encouragement, or potential points of collaboration. We look forward to seeing the impact of the new collaborative relationships created by this event and its growth next year.

Indiana at CES

Highlighting the economy of the future and innovation, the IEDC’s booth was centrally located in the Indy Autonomous Challenge paddock. The booth consisted of our most recent innovation campaign, a video wall featuring newly released 60 second ad, called  “Indiana for the winners”, highlighting why Indiana is good for business (insert link to iedc.in.gov/Indiana-advantages/for-the-winners). Additionally, it provided meeting room and seating for businesses interested in learning more from our business development team.

The MBA students from IU Ventures participated in a round robin leadership session held in multiple booths within the paddock. Each group heard leadership focused career advice from Tony Denhart, Executive Vice President, Workforce & Talent; Salena Scardina, Executive Vice President, External Engagement; and David Watkins, Vice President, Small Business. Students were encouraged to lean into opportunities that stretch their competencies, focus on collaboration and maintain a growth mindset. Positive feedback from this round robin offers encouragement to make this an annual collaboration for new cohorts.

Autonomous Challenge

One of the most anticipated events of the consumer electronic show, Indy Autonomous Challenge, took place at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. These driverless vehicles faced off in what could be considered the one of the most technologically impactful competitions in recent history. The engineering, computer science, and technology used in these vehicles will have a similar impact on product innovation as other competitions had on creating seatbelts, air conditioning, and radar detectors. Although it was an intense race with amazing demonstrations of engineering prowess, PoliMOVE proved to be the most advanced as it became a repeat winner.

Overall, the consumer electronic show 2023 was a great showing of Indiana’s innovation, commitment to collaboration through partnerships, and its next step to the national and global stage. It is clear that Indiana is ready to compete with the likes of Finland, France, England, Germany, and many others. If you are interested in learning more about why Indiana is for the winners, please visit our (insert link to for the winners page) and contact us for more information.”