The international CES or Consumer Electronics Show is where inventors from all over the world who thrive on the creation of consumer technologies meet. Held in Las Vegas every for 40 years, this tech show has served as a hub for new innovations and technological breakthroughs from every corner of the world.

Each year at CES, there are over 3,200 different, unique exhibits that can range anywhere from new ear bud designs to state of the art virtual reality equipment. Along with the debuts of new products, there are also dozens of conferences lead by current CEO’s and other entrepreneurs only just setting foot in the consumer world. Through these conferences, attendees not only are able to get first looks and hands on experience with the latest technology, they are able to get an inside look at the industry’s inner workings and how businessmen were able to make it so big.

Because CES is owned by the $203 billion dollar Consumer Electronics Association (CEA), this show attracts the world’s biggest pioneers and greatest thinkers to the show floors in Vegas which serve as an open forum where they are able to discuss the industries most relevant issues and events.

At the end of every CES a series of Verge awards are given out. These awards go to the best and worst turnouts that appeared on the show floors respectively. This year, some of the awarded categories were: best phone, best TV, best car, best presentation meltdown. On top of these categories there were many others, however, the most impactful ones were: best in the show, biggest disappointment, and best personal transportation.

The award of best in the show went to the “Oculus Rift, Crystal Cove” virtual reality prototype. The Oculus equipment comprises an easy to wear head piece and a controller. This equipment allows you to have the feeling of complete immersion into an environment that was completely generated by computers. Not only does this sound fun, this also shows how society is moving towards a new technological era.

The biggest disappointment award was given to the “wearables” section. Although there were many different types of wearables, the unsettling thing is that you can tell that big companies just hopped on the wearable band wagon. While this year’s wearables may have been a little bit more stylish, they still don’t serve any more of a practical purpose than before. It’s for this reason that they were the biggest disappointment of the show.

The best personal transport award was given to the new, innovative “URB-E”. The URB-E is a scooter made with the bare essentials of framework. It’s lightweight, fast, maneuverable, and can travel a good 20 miles on one charged battery. Just like the Oculus equipment, the URB-E shows the push society is making towards a new era, an era with more eco-friendly means of transportation.

As CES closes down each year and exhibits are packed up, you can’t help but think about what the future will be like.