How the Sharp NBCU Blogger Lounge Saved My CES

By Kelly Sutton, Hack College

For the second year in a row, I went to the Consumer Electronics Show. Perhaps I had forgotten the lessons of my first year at the conference, but I managed to completely exhaust myself. In a convention center that holds more people than my home town, oases of Wi-Fi and hydration are hard to come by. As someone who writes online for my blog Hack College, Wi-Fi is a necessity. We haven't grown to the point of being able to afford a bottomless expense account, so we budget on a shoestring. Things like the Sharp / NBC Universal blogger lounge gives hope for us "little guys."

I was more than pleased to hear that NBC Universal and Sharp would be back with their blogger lounge for 2010. After meeting Jon Accarrino through Revision3 the year before, spending time at the blogger lounge was a godsend. After Accarrino gave us two hours on the NBC Universal broadcast stage (an amazing experience for a bunch of rag-tag college students), the blogger lounge was a great place to collect thoughts and products prior to each taping. Accarrino, Katie Primm and Gia Pace were both helpful in making sure we were stress-free and able to concentrate on our shows and blog posts.

The blogger lounge is more than just comfortable chairs accompanied by nice Sharp TVs and laptops. It also serves as a meeting place. Some of the most interesting people I met at CES were introduced to me by Jon Accarrino at the lounge. It's an easily identifiable place with just the right amenities and atmosphere. NBC is providing the space for tomorrow's important press relationships.

We can't even begin to thank Accarrino, Katie, Gia, Sharp and the entire NBC Universal staff. The NBCU / Sharp blogger lounge has been a staple of our trips to CES. For us small guys, we need as much help as we can get. We look forward to returning next year!