By Laura Heller, Contributor The International CES may be over for 2013, but the show and its organizers are still making news — naming a product as CNET‘s Best Of CES in spite of CNET withholding the title and getting into some hot water with Forbes’s own Connie Guglielmo over so-called Booth Babes at CES. For those just joining us, here’s what you missed. CNET produces the CES‘s annual Best of CES awards program and this year editors voted a product called the Dish Hopper with Sling as the best new product. But CNET owner CBS stepped in, telling the editors not to name the product due to pending litigation. Dish Hopper lets users record programming and play it back without commercials, something CBS has a problem with. CNET withheld the “Best Of” title after CBS intervened, naming the Razer Edge Best of CES instead. But CES just trumped all, naming Dish Hopper as CNET‘s Best of CES, claiming the award is theirs to give. Further, CES is looking for a new partner to produce the awards program. It’s a bold stance and a vote in favor of innovation and open markets, a position that CES‘s parent the Consumer Electronics Association promotes regularly. If only CES would intervene on behalf of women, banning the presence of Booth Babes and helping to elevate the status of women within the industry. At least that’s the position taken by Forbes staffer Guglielmo. In her post “CES Doesn’t Believe Booth Babes Are A Problem: Here’s Why They’re Wrong,” Guglielmo outlines how women are frequently demeaned at the annual event and demands show organizers do something about it. Scantily clad women, known as Booth Babes, are hired by some exhibitors to show off products and attract attendees to their displays. It’s a long-held practice at CES — and plenty of other trade shows — and each year there are a crop of journalists and attendees that speak out against it. This year there’s a petition, asking CES to ban Booth Babes or implement a dress code of “business casual.” Guglielmo has lots to say on the matter, much of it important. But one has to wonder how effective it is to force a private event to censor its attendees. CES‘s response to the petition came from show organizer Karen Chupka, who happens to be a woman and a vice president with the CEA with more than 23 years in the technology industry: We reserve the right for marketers to market themselves. We have a basic decency policy. People should be covered. But we’re not going to get into a situation where we’re going to measure how much covering they have, how long their skirt is. The CEA is adding new language to its exhibitor guidelines for the 2014 show: The International CES’ diverse attendee base should be taken into consideration when choosing your booth talent, to ensure that your presenters are as knowledgeable about your products as possible. We recommend that you also consider how your chosen presenters will most positively reflect your brand to the diverse group of CES attendees. Recent news article show that “booth babes” can reflect poorly on your exhibit, so we ask that you give this thoughtful consideration, to avoid alienating or offending various audience segments. The practice of hiring Booth Babes isn’t really defensible. But the right for a company to market however they choose is. It’s also a consistent position from an organization whose leader is a strong proponent for the free market. Barely dressed woman prancing about is a far cry from the innovation CEA and CES promotes, but if that’s all those companies have to offer and they want to rent a booth, CES will take their money. Ironically, it’s a practice that gets a lot of attention every year even as the frequency declines. I began covering technology trade shows in 1997, and compared to COMDEX, CES seemed downright respectful of women. I opted out of attending COMDEX after that first visit because it was simply too oppressive; I hadn’t been groped or ogled like that since trying to walk unchaperoned through the markets of the Moroccan city of Fez. I do not exaggerate. There are plenty of other trade shows that marginalize women. Oddly enough, the supermarket industry and its suppliers hosted some of the most misogynistic exhibitions. I’ll never forget being offered a brownie at a bakery supplier’s booth and taking a bite as the sales representative quipped, “That’s the second best thing you’ll ever put in your mouth.” There was nary a technology company in sight. In fact, the tech industry is in many ways far more welcoming to women than those grocery suppliers ever were. CES felt like a safe haven comparatively, populated by smart, modern and open minded people of both genders. There wasn’t exactly parity, and beautiful women were still be used to sell products or promote companies, but women were part of the industry in a way not seen in older, more established sectors. The common thread here is that women are often marginalized as the end user and buyer. It’s more of a business mistake, or missed opportunity, rather than a moral issue. CEA thought so too, and in the early 2000’s we worked together to move the industry forward in how it spoke to female consumers. Chupka herself championed the efforts as CES launched a track focusing on women and technology, while the association’s research division helped gather data and forge a new understanding of how women evaluate and shop for product. In the end, the effort was abandoned. There were no easy answers for companies in how to approach women, we don’t all behave the same way. But that’s a story separate from the Booth Babes, and perhaps another business opportunity. The companies that view women only as arm candy aren’t making products or compelling marketing to capture this market in any meaningful way. They aren’t the ones doing the best job of creating opportunities for talented women to work there, thus missing out on what they have to offer. CES can issue dress codes all day long, but as smart companies treat women like the valued customers and employees that they are, the Babes will go away.    
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Forbes Latest