Beyond the Booth: Media & Marketing Giants Redefine CES Networking

LAS VEGAS, NV – December 29, 2025 – As the global technology industry prepares to descend on Las Vegas for CES 2026, a new strategy for engagement is taking shape far from the sprawling, chaotic show floors. In a significant move, LA Times Studios and the digital-first marketing brand Monks are co-hosting an exclusive networking lounge, signaling a shift from passive exhibition to curated, content-driven experiences. This initiative is not just about providing a quiet space for coffee; it represents a calculated effort to capture the attention of industry leaders by fostering what organizers call "intentional connection."

The two-day lounge, running from January 7-8, will be strategically located within the Fontainebleau Las Vegas, not in a generic conference room, but at the heart of CES Foundry—a brand-new, high-profile area dedicated to the bleeding edge of Artificial Intelligence and Quantum Technologies. This choice of venue underscores a core trend: in the overwhelming noise of the world's largest tech trade show, the most valuable currency is no longer a business card, but a meaningful conversation in a highly relevant context.

The Foundry: A Curated Stage for AI and Quantum

The decision to anchor the lounge within CES Foundry is pivotal. Launching for the first time at CES 2026, the Foundry is designed as an elite hub for the visionaries, disruptors, and investors shaping the future of AI and quantum computing. With dedicated stages, immersive demonstrations, and a focus on accelerating innovation, it promises a pre-vetted audience of serious players, from entrepreneurs and government officials to C-suite executives.

By sponsoring one of only two exclusive lounges in this space, LA Times Studios and Monks are positioning themselves at the epicenter of the industry's most critical dialogues. The competitive landscape at CES is famously dense, with countless brands and agencies hosting hospitality suites and events. Companies like Mediaocean with its "Ski Lodge" and the massive Brand Innovators Marketing Leadership Summit all vie for the attention of executives. However, the LA Times Studios and Monks lounge aims to distinguish itself by embedding directly within the nexus of technological innovation, ensuring the conversations are not just about marketing to the tech industry, but are an integral part of the tech conversation itself.

The lounge's programming reinforces this focus on substance. Plans include a steady stream of interviews with leading executives, which will be broadcast across LA Times Studios Streaming and made available on the Los Angeles Times homepage and YouTube channel. This transforms the physical space into a dynamic content engine, creating thought leadership that lives on long after CES concludes.

A Strategic Alliance of Content and Code

This partnership is far more than a simple event sponsorship; it's a powerful reflection of the long-term strategies of both organizations. For LA Times Studios, the initiative is a tangible manifestation of its parent company's ambitious transformation. The Los Angeles Times Media Group (LATMG) is aggressively pursuing a "Four Brands, One Engine" strategy to evolve from a legacy newspaper into a modern, technology-powered media platform. This includes the core newspaper, NantStudios for virtual production, NantGames for esports, and LA Times Studios as the creator collaboration engine for streaming, podcasts, and live events.

This evolution is fueled by necessity. Against a backdrop of financial losses and industry-wide disruption, LATMG is in the midst of a major push to raise up to $500 million through private placement and a planned public offering. The CES lounge, therefore, serves as a high-profile showcase of the company's forward-looking vision, demonstrating to potential partners and investors its ability to innovate and generate new revenue streams beyond traditional media. As Anna Magzanyan, president of LA Times Studios, stated in the announcement, the goal is to create a space where leaders can "connect with intention, and turn conversation into opportunity."

For Monks, the global operating brand of Sir Martin Sorrell's S4 Capital, the lounge is a prime opportunity to demonstrate its dominance in the AI-driven marketing space. Monks has built its reputation on its proprietary AI ecosystem, Monks.Flow, which orchestrates marketing campaigns with unprecedented speed and data intelligence. Being at the heart of CES Foundry allows the company to engage directly with the innovators and decision-makers who are its ideal clients. Mamou Kilambi-Mbakwe, Associate Director of Brand Marketing at Monks, noted the partnership provides a "dedicated hub at CES where the industry's most influential voices can collaborate and shape the narrative for the year ahead."

Fusion, Funnies, and the Future of Energy

Perhaps the most telling element of the lounge's strategy is its most unconventional: a happy hour and comedy show titled 'Hot Takes on Fusion.' The event demonstrates a sophisticated understanding of how to capture attention at a saturated event by blending deep-tech education with high-level entertainment. Hosted by Commonwealth Fusion Systems (CFS), the event will feature comedy duo The Sklar Brothers alongside top-tier scientists Alex Creely of CFS and Dr. Tammy Ma of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.

CFS, a spin-off from MIT, is a world leader in the private race to commercialize fusion energy—the long-sought "holy grail" of limitless, carbon-free power. The company is currently building SPARC, a device intended to prove net-energy fusion is possible, which will pave the way for ARC, its first planned power plant. By bringing this topic to CES, CFS is working to mainstream the conversation around one of humanity's biggest challenges.

The format is ingenious. Using the witty, intelligent humor of The Sklar Brothers to demystify a complex topic makes it accessible and memorable. This is flanked by the immense credibility of Dr. Ma, a key figure in the historic 2022 fusion ignition breakthrough, and Creely, who is engineering the next generation of fusion machines. This blend of entertainment and expertise is designed to do more than just inform; it's designed to inspire and create a lasting impression that a standard PowerPoint presentation never could.

This approach exemplifies a new form of experiential marketing where the goal is not just to be seen, but to be remembered. It's a recognition that in a room full of innovators, the most effective way to communicate a groundbreaking idea is to do something groundbreaking yourself. The lounge is set to be more than a meeting point; it's a curated experience where the future of media, marketing, and technology converge, proving that the most powerful connections are often sparked in the most unexpected ways.