Type	Trade Organization
Founded	1924
Headquarters	1919 S. Eads St., Arlington, VA 22202
Staff	Kathy Gornik; chairman
Members	2,200 companies
Website	http://www.ce.org

The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) is the trade organization for the consumer electronics industry in the United States. The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) is the preeminent trade association promoting growth in the $173 billion U.S. consumer technology industry through technology policy, events, research, promotion and the fostering of business and strategic relationships. The CEA also puts on the annual International CES (Consumer Electronics Show).

CEA originally started as the Radio Manufacturers Association (RMA) in 1924. In 1950, it changed its name to Radio-Television Manufacturers Association (RTMA). In 1953, it changed its name to Radio-Electronics-Television Manufacturers Association (RETMA). It was then the Electronic Industries Association (EIA) from 1957 to 1998, when it became the Electronic Industries Alliance. In 1995, EIA's Consumer Electronics Group (CEG) became the Consumer Electronics Manufacturers Association (CEMA). In 1999, President Gary Shapiro announced the trade group's name change from CEMA to the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) and became an independent sector of the Electronic Industries Alliance (EIA).

Awards Program

CEA has several awards programs to honor industry leaders, inventors, and groundbreaking products and technologies.

• Academy of Digital Pioneers: given out at the DTV Summit to recognize DTV leaders and those accomplishments that further the transition from analog television to digital

• Consumer Electronics Hall of Fame: To recognize the contributions of the true pioneers of the consumer electronics industry, CEA announced the first 50 inductees into its Consumer Electronics Hall of Fame at the 2000 International CES. Each year another world-class group of inventors, engineers, business leaders, retailers and journalists are inducted into the Consumer Electronics Hall of Fame.

• The Mark of Excellence Awards has distinguished leaders in custom home electronic products, services and installed technologies. For past winners and details of the categories and how to enter:(MoE).

CE Timeline

2007
• CES celebrates its 40th anniversary.
• The first cell phones capable of receiving broadcast television are available.
• “Inkless” printing — no ribbons or cartridges – is demonstrated.
• The Windows “Vista” operating system is released.
• Apple introduces its iPod “iPhone”.
• Portable navigation devices (PND) become a mainstream category.

2006
• Nintendo’s Wii video game system goes on sale.
• Microsoft introduces its Zune digital music player.
• The first consumer high-definition DVD players go on sale in the U.S.
• The first videogame systems with high-definition DVD players hit the market.
• The first OCAP (Open Cable Applications Platform) cable systems begin operation and the first OCAP-enabled TVs are available.
• U.S. President Bush signs legislation to end analog television broadcasting on February 17, 2009.
• Hybrid format, chip sets for combining Blu-ray/HD-DVD high-definition DVD are announced.
• The first broadband HSDPA GSM cell phones are available in U.S.
• The one billionth Bluetooth device ships.
• The first 1080p plasma HDTVs go on sale.
• CEA and IT industries file a “consensus proposal” with the FCC to end plug-and-play two-way cable TV interoperability stalemate.
• The first RPTV HDTVs with LED lighting technology begin shipping.
• The first flash memory, DVD and hard disc drive-based highdefinition camcorders using AVCHD format hit the market.
• Sales of digital TVs surpass sales of analog TVs for the first time.
• The first dual cellular/WiFi, cordless/WiFi phones are available.
• A new WiFi 802.11n specification, enabling throughput of 100 Mbit/s for wireless local transmission of HDTV, is approved by IEEE.
• The first high capacity, 4-GB-plus, flash memory cards are available.

Market Research

For more than 75 years, CEA’s Market Activity Reports and Analysis (MARA) program has been providing consumer electronics industry statistics. For more information about the MARA program see CEA Market Research.

CEA consumer research reports contain a written analysis of the key points and essential take-aways, offering insightful analysis about what consumers want from consumer technologies. These reports can be purchased here.

Membership

CEA represents more than 2,200 corporate members. Membership is available for companies involved in the CE industry, including manufacturers, distributors, technology developers, retailers, dealers, and integrators. Associate membership is offered to companies providing B2B solutions for the CE industry, such as marketing and advertising firms, financial/investment institutes, and builders

Membership in CEA supports the CE industry, CEA policies and initiatives, and provides exclusive benefits to grow your CE business. Visit CEA Membership.

Leadership

Gary Shapiro / President and CEO

Gary Shapiro Gary Shapiro is president and CEO of the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA), the U.S. trade association representing over 2200 consumer electronics companies and owning and producing the continent’s largest annual trade show, the International CES.

Shapiro led the industry in its successful transition to HDTV. He co-founded and chaired the HDTV Model Station and has served as a leader of the Advanced Television Test Center (ATTC). He is a charter inductee to the Academy of Digital Television Pioneers, and received its highest award as the industry leader most influential in advancing HDTV. He began the effort urging Congress set an analog cut-off date.

As chairman of the Home Recording Rights Coalition (HRRC), Shapiro led the battle to preserve the legality of recording technology and the consumer fair use rights. Shapiro has held many exhibition industry leadership posts, and received the exhibition industry’s highest honor, the IAEM Pinnacle Award. Shapiro served on the Board of Visitors of George Mason University and served as a member of the Commonwealth of Virginia's Commission on Information Technology. He is also a member of the Board of Directors of the Northern Virginia Technology Council and the Board of Governors for the National Academy of Media Arts & Sciences. Shapiro has also been recognized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as a “mastermind” for his initiative in helping to create the Industry Cooperative for Ozone Layer Protection (ICOLP).

Shapiro leads a staff of 150 employees and thousands of industry volunteers and has testified before Congress on technology and business issues more than 20 times. He is a member of the State Department’s Advisory Committee on International Communications and Information Policy (ACICIP), and a member of the Copyright Roundtable, a small group of the nation’s top copyright experts. In 2006 and in 2007, the Hill named him one of the top 50 business lobbyists in Washington. Shapiro also serves on the Advisory Committee for the National Task Force on Community Preparedness and Response. In May 2007, he was named one of Washington DC’s 100 most influential individuals by Washington Life Magazine. CEA has won many awards for its magazine, Vision, and as a family friendly employer and one of the best places to work.

Prior to joining the association, Shapiro was an associate at the law firm of Squire, Sanders and Dempsey. He also has worked on Capitol Hill, as an assistant to a member of Congress. He received his law degree from Georgetown University Law Center and is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate with a double major in economics and psychology from the State University of New York, Binghamton.

He is married to Dr. Susan Malinowski, a retina surgeon.

Notes