CES 2016 gets ready to roll (pictures)

The South Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center is just one part of a massive complex that houses CES. Two days before the show officially opens, the scene outside is relatively quiet. But come Wednesday, this sidewalk will be jammed.

Things are similarly quiet in front of the Central Hall. What's now a parking lot will be a busy loading bay for shuttles to hotels across Las Vegas. Good luck with the traffic and with finding a taxi.

Under a grey and cold Vegas sky, a forklift motors its way past a row of palm trees. During CES, the parking lot in the background will house more exhibits and a huge registration tent.

Take the escalator from the South Hall lobby to find the CNET stage on the second floor. You really can't miss it.

The CNET stage nears completion. Here the best team in tech will bring you the best of CES.

Our video editors are hard at work, even as the control room behind the CNET stage is being built.

Back outside, piles of packing crates wait to be unpacked. Hotels on the famed Las Vegas Strip and the High Roller Ferris wheel are seen in the background.

If you've already registered to attend CES you can pick up your badge outside the convention or even at the airport.

If you're walking the halls during the setup take care of forklifts buzzing across the show floor with deliveries, sometimes at top speed.

Though it doesn't look like much now, this space will be Samsung's booth. Showing everything from phones to refrigerators, Samsung always has one of the biggest and grandest booths at CES.

A running figure towers above this still unsigned booth. It looks to be all about smartwatches or wearables.

With a striking lattice work and soothing Earth tones, this could become one of the prettiest booths at CES.

Indeed, tomorrow and the start of CES won't wait. Here a crane adjusts a grid of lights hanging from the ceiling.

An employee lugs a manual forklift down a typically long walkway on the show floor.

A huge ring of cameras stands center stage in the Nikon booth.

Some booths are barely larger than a table in the middle of the floor.

The Grand Concourse runs between the Central and North Halls to a maze of meeting rooms. Its welcoming arch is more or less the center of CES.

Given how big the Las Vegas Convention Center is (the South Hall alone is a third of a mile long), riding a bike is a smart way to get around.

At some booths, some exhibits stay covered until the show officially opens.

Sometimes the ceiling of a booth is just as interesting as what's on the floor.

More packing crates stretch along the length of the South Hall. Inside the crates is all it takes to build a company booth.

Though empty now, these racks will hold stacks of show guides and magazines once CES opens.

The convention center has its own station for the Las Vegas Monorail.

Due to heightened terrorism concerns, stricter security measure are in place at CES this year.

No, this isn't part of an exhibit. But you can't build a booth without one.

A busy day on the show floor will drain your phone's battery quickly. You can charge it up here.