CES 2026: Personalization, Suites, AI in Design and Skin-deep Engagement -

Artificial intelligence lives in everything now, from PCs to robots to cars to emotional support pandas. It’s also allowing experience builders to create the storytelling content and scenery of their dreams. Many booths across the now expansive CES 2026 show floor feature visible credits or disclaimers that the space features AI-generated content and that “characters and events are fictional.”

Indeed, the talk around AI is shifting from “imagine if” to “here’s why it matters to you” with customer appearances and demos, photo activations and engagements helping to build personal connections and feelings around the innovations. Here, we bring you more of what we’re feeling and seeing at CES 2026. (For coverage questions and agency/fabricator credits, reach out to Rachel Boucher, rboucher@accessintel.com.)

More Coverage: CES 2026: Big Changes, Robot Grooves, and More from the Show Floor

Experiential Hacks

Overall, top tech brands this year are hacking off-floor engagement. Leaving behind its days in the outdoor pavilion, Google introduced its Android XR, its new operating system for next-generation headsets and glasses, with a splashy takeover of the Sphere, capturing more eyeballs than a demo area ever could.

Meta cashed in on the CES traffic with a pop-up of its Meta Lab at the Wynn, steps away from its actual boutique. Attendees could try on and buy various Meta Ray-Ban AI glasses and also schedule a demo of the new models with a teleprompter display, as well as a Meta Neural Band that lets you write with your finger on any surface.

Skin-deep Experiences

“I guarantee that of all the information you receive at the show this year, this is one thing you won’t forget.” So said the booth staffer in scrubs at Abbott Laboratories at the LVCC before we got our finger pricked (a first for us at a trade show) to learn about our blood type and how to donate. Yes, real blood—no GenAI content here. And he was right. The reimagined booth design is a physical blueprint, designed to show attendees how the latest technologies (and the brand’s partnerships) are helping consumers make better health decisions. (Build: Factory360)

Exclusive Swag Drops

At CES, swag is showing no signs of slowing down. Though, attendees are certainly working for it. Among hot items: trendy hand sanitizers, soothing eye patches and drinkable energy shots.

The Weather Company at Aria popped up a “Plinko”-style game called “The Drop,” where attendees climb steps to drop discs into one of nine slots and watch it trickle to the bottom. The icon of the slot the disc lands in determines the prize they receive. We got the moon icon, so we chose a small cloud plushie from the “Make It Rain” prize wall. (Agency: Seen Presents)

Eureka at The Venetian Expo had attendees lined up for a larger-than-life slot machine experience, where they pulled a lever to claim deep discounts and prizes—and even free machines. All attendees had to do (as with many swag stations) was follow the brand on Instagram.

In its private suite at the Aria, Yahoo set up a wall of giveaways for attendees to choose from. Items range from plush keychains and notebooks to gum and lip balms—chosen to help conferencegoers gather essentials and recharge. The team discovered that its white branded hoodies from last year’s CES garnered a lot of attention and interest, so for 2026, Yahoo created a black doodle-inspired version of the hoodie up for grabs in a giveaway that attendees can enter via a QR code. Once again, the reception is positive as brand ambassadors are sporting the comfy hoodie around the venue.

Content You Can Sip

Coffee bars are a dime a dozen around the LVCC and hotels, so Reddit is instead opting for juice and elevating the experience with a little personalization at the Conversation Bar. At a tablet, attendees explore Reddit conversations and choose their focus for 2026: purpose, energy, balance, creativity or joy. Their choice then influences their drink order at the bar that’s serving up “fresh-squeezed Reddit community intelligence.” Joy landed us a refreshing watermelon juice. At the Gift Bar, participants can then order a customized glass tumbler with their initials, two focus icons and a Reddit icon.

Glam Stations

Headshot studios are always popular at conferences, giving attendees the chance to update their professional looks, but it’s rare to also have an accompanying glam bar. At The Female Quotient Lounge, Best Buy Ads hosted a makeup and hair styling bar for attendees to get touched up before getting their photos taken in front of a pink draped backdrop or heading back out to the show floor. The illuminated vanity featured “Be Your Best You” messaging, and attendees were very excited to see their glow-up in the mirror and snap selfies.

Iridescent Vibes

We’re seeing quite a lot of luminous, color-shifting design stories that play well against the convention center backdrop and have a soft, premium feel. Sony’s usual space in North Hall at the LVCC was reimagined this year and features Afeela, a brand from Sony Honda Mobility, with a dreamy, expansive LED backdrop you can see clear across the hall. (Build: Pinnacle)

And here’s an instance of iridescent, translucent hues—an example of “leaning into AI visual language,” as our editors describe. How the big innovations and big conversations around AI come through in design is something we’re tracking.

Sound and Light Journeys

Building on our previous report and observations of various entrance moments in booths this year, AARP’s showstopping experience at The Venetian Expo is a complete reimagination from last year’s footprint and it uses transitions to change the conversation, and perceptions, around aging.

A highlight of our afternoon, the booth featured an entry portal with an ambient voice that called out words like “fearless,” “responsive,” “balance,” before attendees entered a little holding zone where they were introduced to the message “imagine if growing older were the most creative act of your life.”

The whole experience felt futuristic, and frankly, interesting, to think about the topic of aging in this way. And it spilled out into a hands-on questionnaire activation where, through a translucent, fabric wall, you could hear the conversation continue to play out on the brand’s broadcast stage.