New this year at the 2014 International CES, attendees can participate in the first promotional iBeacon-based scavenger hunt to explore the event and be rewarded with a special prize. Owned and produced by the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA), the 2014 CES, a gathering place "for all who thrive on the business of consumer technologies," will run Jan. 7-10 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Attendees at the 2014 CES who download the CES Mobile App on iOS or Android devices will be encouraged to explore all areas of the show through the scavenger hunt and will collect badges for each iBeacon they encounter. Specific scavenger hunt instructions are included in the CES App.

The first three verified players who collect all of the available badges will be rewarded with a special prize from CES, available for pick-up in the Press Room at the Las Vegas Convention Center (LVCC), South Hall Connector, Room S229, during normal operating hours. A limited number of prizes will be available for others who complete the hunt throughout the week.

"This promotional scavenger hunt demonstrates our commitment to leveraging the latest in emerging technologies, making CES the most interactive and engaging technology event of the year," says Jeff Joseph, senior vice president of communications and strategic relationships at CEA. "This promotion is a fun and novel way to introduce attendees to iBeacon technology and encourage participants to visit important exhibits across the show floor."

CEA is partnering with its member companies Radius Networks Inc., a provider of mobile proximity services, and Texas Instruments to implement the scavenger hunt. The devices being used for the hunt are Radius Networks iBeacons using Bluetooth low-energy technology from Texas Instruments (TI).

iBeacons are short range, Bluetooth, low-energy transmitters that can notify mobile devices when they come within 100 feet of the beacon. This micro-location proximity awareness can be leveraged to deliver a wide range of new, innovative solutions, such as precision indoor navigation, automatic ticketing, guided museum tours and location-relevant offers and promotions.

"This is one of the coolest proximity-aware apps we have worked on," says Marc Wallace, CEO and cofounder of Radius Networks. "This is also one of the first, tangible applications that leverages iBeacon technology. And it is a great example of how iBeacon technology is not just about advertising as it is about bringing new and innovative solutions to the marketplace. We are very excited to be a part of it."

Official contest rules are available at http://tinyurl.com/lsh868s .