This morning I interrupted my usual CRM news and magazine story writing to tune into the live Webcast of the Consumer Electronics Show keynotes. Gary Shapiro, the president and CEO of the Consumer Electronics Association, kicked off the event with an industry address. He set the stage with some dreary statistics about 2009. “Many of us will look back at 2009 as the most challenging year of our lives,” he said.

In 2009 the consumer electronics industry saw:

• Overall revenue drop for the first time in some 20 years, and
• Industry revenues drop 7 percent as reported at last January’s CES show.

Despite plummeting revenues, the desire for consumer electronics remains high:

• Total unit sales grew 10 percent over 2008,
• A 2009 holiday forecast found that four out of five Americans wanted a tech gift this holiday. This is the highest figure in history.

“Even though we sold more devices, it still makes 2009 a year no one wants to repeat,” Shapiro said.

Shapiro then quoted American computer scientist Alan Kay, saying, “The best way to predict the future is invent it.” Innovation is not only a goal, the CEO and President said, but it’s evident in the exhibitors and products displayed at the year’s event. The trade show floor welcomed a record number of new exhibitors (300) and out of the tech zones, 12 out of the 20 are new.

This record amount of innovation stems from many sources, Shapiro said. Many come from entrepreneurial companies, but more notably, he added, “The harsh recession creates winners and losers and creates the necessity to break  out and do something different.” Companies are embracing the attitude, “Innovate or Die.”

“If you believe in innovation, dont sit by and watch, join the movement,” Shapiro said. New CEA programs are making that increasingly possible, he added, and then he introduced three CEA initiatives bridging the gap between consumers and vendors. The list of three and additional details are after the jump…

1. CE Cares

This program brings together all that we do to protect the health, safety, and well being of consumers, Shapiro said. It’s a commitment to customer safety — whether it be conveyed through tips for safe television viewing or safe television mounting.

2. Consumers as CEA members

The CEA is expanding membership to support customers. They can now join in to learn about trends, market research and hear whats in the CE pipeline.

3. Environmental Goals

We will continue to work to achieve energy savings without sacrificing innovation. One of the biggest issues that needs resolution is nationwide recycling. State regulations hinder adoption. The responsibility must be shared, Shapiro said. The CEA recently adopted plans for a national solution for recycling. A free market would make this possible, he said emphatically.

Shapiro then introduced Alan Mulally, the president of Ford Motors. Instead of rehashing, Mulally’s speech, I will direct you to several posts, analysing Ford’s big announcement at the show — the Ford MyTouch user interface that gives drivers turn-by-turn directions with voice guidance. And here’s a live write-up of the keynote.