But for a group of Chinese hardware makers trying desperately to make a name for themselves with U.S. retailers and consumers, CES is crucial. For Hisense, Huawei, Haier, TCL, ZTE and other Chinese firms you’ve likely never heard of, CES is an opportunity to reach the masses, as they hope to go from anonymous tech providers to brands in their own right.

“The U.S. is the most important market in our portfolio,” Lin Lan, the vice president of Hisense, told Wired on Monday. “We’ve said this: If we are successful only in China and other countries without success here, we are not a big brand.”