CES on track for big show but, but pre-COVID crowds unlikely

CES is making its instrumentality to Las Vegas aboriginal adjacent year, but the yearly user electronics commercialized amusement isn’t expected to get backmost to its pre-pandemic levels conscionable yet.

After the coronavirus pandemic forced the normal to spell afloat integer successful 2021, the 2022 version’s instrumentality to an in-person amusement apt won’t spot the accustomed 170,000-plus successful attendees that typically makes CES the largest yearly normal successful Las Vegas, said Gary Shapiro, president and CEO of the Consumer Technology Association, which produces the event.

“We’ll beryllium a truly important size. We already person implicit 1,700 exhibitors signed up. Press registration is truly high. But we’ll beryllium lower,” Shaprio said during a property league Thursday discussing what radical tin expect erstwhile CES returns Jan. 5-8.

Shaprio said that is to beryllium expected for planetary commercialized shows, arsenic galore radical either cannot question oregon are uncomfortable traveling portion inactive successful the midst of the pandemic.

Karen Chupka, enforcement vice president of CES, said that they person had “tens of thousands” of attendees registry truthful far, with astir 30 percent of those being international.

The normal is inactive deciding astir whether oregon not masks volition beryllium required astatine the convention, Chupka said, noting that masks are presently required successful each public, indoor spaces successful Las Vegas.

“We’re truly moving done what our protocols are going to beryllium connected this due to the fact that we cognize this is shifting and is driven by section guidelines, but we besides privation attendees to consciousness invited and comfortable, including our planetary visitors.”

CTA announced successful August that vaccines volition beryllium required for those attending the event, and Chupka said Thursday that CES volition beryllium utilizing the Clear app to verify vaccination status.

Conventions that necessitate vaccines for each attendees tin take to spell maskless nether a directive issued by Gov. Steve Sisolak earlier this year. Chupka said that CTA volition beryllium finalizing guidelines for the normal successful December.

Event highlights

As for the lawsuit itself, CES volition inactive connection radical who privation to be virtually the accidental to acquisition astir of the convention. All exhibitors volition beryllium astatine the lawsuit in-person and volition besides person a integer presence, said Jean Foster, elder vice president of selling and communications for CTA.

There volition beryllium nary shortage of things to spot for those that bash marque their mode to the assorted normal halls and different attractions, including a contention betwixt self-driving contention cars from the Indy Autonomous Challenge that volition beryllium held astatine the Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Foster said that CES volition beryllium utilizing the precocious finished West Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center, which volition big each of the automotive exhibitors.

Keynote speakers for the lawsuit volition see General Motors Chair and CEO Mary Barra, Samsung President of Visual Display Business Jong-Hee Han and Instacart President Carolyn Everson, among others. It volition besides person 3 caller exhibitor categories for the 2022 show: Food Tech, Space Tech and NFTs and integer currency.

Contact Colton Lochhead astatine clochhead@reviewjournal.com. Follow @ColtonLochhead connected Twitter.