Flanders considers joining CES technology show in Las Vegas
Flanders is increasingly considering having an official presence at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, the world’s biggest annual technology fair. This was confirmed by Wim Sohier, technology adviser at Flanders Investment & Trade (FIT). For now, budget limits are stopping such a move.
Wallonia has been the only Belgian region with a permanent stand at CES since 2018, through its trade agency Awex. Flanders currently attends in a more limited way, by renting a hotel suite to meet companies and guests. Brussels does not take part, citing a lack of interested SMEs and start-ups.
Interest from Flemish companies was also limited in the past, but this has changed over time. FIT had hoped to secure an official Flemish presence at CES 2026, but the plan was dropped due to costs. Wallonia’s two stands alone cost around 200,000 euros this year.
New talks will take place in the coming weeks about a possible presence in 2027. Flanders has not yet decided whether it would join a joint Belgian stand with Wallonia or set up its own. One option under consideration is the CES area focused on cars, where Flanders could showcase its expertise in artificial intelligence for the automotive sector.
This strength was highlighted last October, when US company Uber bought Segments.ai, a Leuven-based start-up specialising in data labelling for autonomous driving and robotics.
#FlandersNewsService | Attendees take photos of the UniTree autonomous robot at CES Las Vegas, 7 January 2026 © PHOTO CHRISTOPHER TRIM / CAL SPORT MEDIA / SIPA USA
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