CEA, the Consumer Electronics Association, has changed its name to the Consumer Technology Association (CTA).
The trade organisation announced its new name and introduced a new logo at CES Unveiled New York, a half-day event offering a sneak preview of innovative technologies prior to the CES convention in 2016,. The association’s members ratified the new name during their annual membership meeting held during the Innovate! conference in New York City.
“Innovation and expansion are hallmarks of the consumer technology industry and our association – and as our industry changes, so must we,” said Gary Shapiro, Consumer Technology Association president and CEO. “Our membership and the consumer technology sector have grown and evolved to engage almost every major industry segment and America’s burgeoning startup economy, touching almost every part of consumers’ lives. Our new name – the Consumer Technology Association – more accurately represents this growth and the excitement and innovative spirit of the industry we represent. CTA also better captures our association’s vision, scope of advocacy, current membership base and brand promise.”
The organisation has also announced the formation of a Disruptive Innovation Council. The new body will provide support and advocacy to help innovative companies that are disrupting traditional business models and empowering consumers navigate market and policy challenges.
The Disruptive Innovation Council roster includes disruptive innovators such as Boingo, Expedia, Inc., Google, GoPro, Lyft, MC10, Nest, Pandora, Uber, WebMD and Yelp. To be part of the Council companies must exhibit a proven success, significant cultural impact and create new markets or solve, or simplify commonly used processes or services.
The CTA has also inducted eight industry leaders into it’s 16th annual CE Hall Of Fame at an awards dinner in New York. This years honorees are Robert L. Borchardt, president and CEO of Recoton; Tom Campbell, retail executive and consultant; George Feldstein, founder of Crestron; Vic Hayes, founding chairman of the IEEE 802.11 Working Group and “father of Wi-Fi”; Noel Lee, founder of Monster; Bernie Mitchell, president of Pioneer; Dr. Floyd Toole, pioneering psychoacoustic engineer, and Wilfred Schwartz, founder of Federated Group.
The association’s annual CES convention is one of the biggest entertainment and lifestyle tech events in the world. The next CES will take place in Las Vegas, 6-9 January. This year’s CES conference keynote speakers will include Intel CEO Brian M. Krzanich, Netflix CEO Reed Hastings and NBCUniversal CEO Stephen B. Burke.
