Challenge
CES is one of the most crowded and competitive trade show environments in the world, which made brand visibility a real challenge even for a well-known name. Alibaba.com needed to hold its own on a massive show floor while also doing something it had never done before, connecting the physical booth experience to its online platform through live streaming. That meant coordinating video production, a content schedule, and real-time publishing across social channels and the Alibaba.com platform simultaneously, much of it managed on the ground in Las Vegas with production and engineering teams based in China.
Overview
Alibaba.com attended CES 2018 in Las Vegas from January 9 to 12, marking the first time the company partnered with the Consumer Technology Association (CTA), the organizer of CES, to present the Design and Source Showcase. The partnership brought small and medium-sized enterprises onto the global stage, positioning Alibaba.com’s supplier network at the center of one of the world’s largest electronics trade shows.
Alibaba.com had two locations at the show. The main booth was a 70 by 20 foot space in the Design and Source Marketplace, anchored by a 20 by 20 foot stage for interviews and demos and nine supplier display and meeting areas. A second presence at the Alibaba Group booth in South Hall represented Alibaba.com alongside other group business units.
I led the full booth experience at the Design and Source Marketplace, including exterior graphics, booth design, live streaming production, photography, supplier booth coordination, and on-site management. I also collaborated with the team in China on graphics for the Alibaba Group booth.
Timeline
- Jan 9-12, 2018
Role
- Exhibit Visual Design
- Marketing Collateral Design
- Environmental Graphics
- Live Streaming Production and Management
- On Site Management
Team
- UED and Engineering Teams (China)
- Buyer and Supplier Teams (China)
- Marketing Team
- Booth Builder Agency
- Pan Lau (Lead Designer)
Co-branding Guideline
2018 marked the first year Alibaba.com partnered with CTA for the Design and Source Showcase. To maintain brand consistency across all channels and materials, I developed a co-branding guideline defining the approved logo lockup for both organizations. The guideline was reviewed and approved by both the Alibaba.com and CTA teams before going into production.
Booth Graphics and Experience
The overall look used Alibaba.com’s signature orange as the primary color with dark grey as a secondary tone, grounded by a natural wood finish on the main stage wall behind the LED logo. The design had to work across a large footprint while keeping the brand clear from every angle of the marketplace floor.
Signage and Prints
The show theme was “Innovating Global Trade.” The visual concept merged Alibaba.com orange with CES blue to reflect the co-branded partnership, carried consistently across all booth graphics, outdoor signage, entrance graphics, and print collateral.
Livestream Video
This was the first time Alibaba.com live-streamed from a trade show in the US. Over the four days, the team produced 40+ videos published across Alibaba.com’s social channels and its website and mobile app. Content covered six topics including what was happening at CES, live coverage from both Alibaba booths, show seminars, supplier features, industry trend insights, and attendee interviews.
The goal was to give online viewers a way to experience the show as it happened, building familiarity with the platform and trust in the suppliers featured on it. I oversaw the streaming schedule, video production workflow, and on-site troubleshooting to keep delivery on track throughout the event. The videos reached millions of viewers across Alibaba.com’s social channels, website, and mobile app.
Landing Page and Mobile App
To bridge the online and offline experience, Alibaba.com promoted the show directly on its platform. The digital experience was primarily led by teams in China. I collaborated remotely to oversee visual consistency between the online promotion and the physical booth, ensuring both sides felt like one connected experience.
Impact
CES 2018 was the first time Alibaba.com brought live streaming to a US trade show, and the approach worked well enough to become a model for future events. The 40+ videos produced over four days reached millions of viewers across Alibaba.com’s social channels, website, and mobile app, extending the show’s reach far beyond the convention floor. The co-branding partnership with CTA gave Alibaba.com a visible and credible presence at one of the most attended trade shows in the world, with CES 2018 drawing 180K+ attendees and 3,900+ exhibitors. The live streaming format and production workflow established at this event carried forward into subsequent trade shows as a repeatable playbook.