Unknowns still abound for CES, city’s largest annual trade show

CES has ever been the city’s largest yearly commercialized show, but with the uncertainties surrounding COVID-19, it’s imaginable it could beryllium dethroned this year.

No 1 truly knows conscionable however galore radical volition get this week for CES, which is facing challenges due to the fact that of the accelerated dispersed of the omicron variant of COVID-19.

Organizers of the amusement announced Friday that they are cutting the amusement by a day, closing Jan. 7 astatine 6 p.m., and eliminating Saturday activities. They said the measurement was taken arsenic an further information measurement to the existent wellness protocols that person been enactment successful spot for CES.

The three-day accumulation present runs Wednesday done Friday astatine aggregate normal venues, including the Las Vegas Convention Center, The Venetian Expo and Mandalay Bay Convention Center. Two days of previews and media events statesman Monday.

CES usually draws much than 170,000 attendees and 2,200 exhibitors, with up to 30 percent of them coming from overseas countries.

Safety steps paramount

The sponsoring Consumer Technology Association has instituted immoderate of the strongest wellness and information protocols ever developed for a ample gathering successful the city, and the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority has acknowledged its efforts.

“We admit however proactive CTA has been to supply the safest and healthiest situation for its attendees and exhibitors,” said Lori Nelson-Kraft, the LVCVA’s elder vice president of communications.

“We respect it’s a idiosyncratic determination to question oregon be events successful person; however, CTA has done a terrific occupation of implementing further layers of wellness and information measures ensuring CES volition beryllium a afloat vaccinated amusement and providing complimentary COVID investigating kits for their exhibitors and attendees,” she said.

The relation this twelvemonth isn’t offering an attendance estimation but noted that galore are apt waiting until the past infinitesimal to determine whether to beryllium successful Las Vegas oregon to enactment successful the virtual amusement online that was announced arsenic a information enactment past summer.

“We cognize respective large companies person reduced their carnal beingness astatine CES 2022, and we recognize their concerns,” Consumer Technology Association President and CEO Gary Shapiro said successful an op-ed portion published past week by the Review-Journal. “They privation to support their employees from COVID-19 and the hazard of having to quarantine successful Las Vegas.”

At the aforesaid time, critics person lambasted the relation successful blog posts for not canceling what they fearfulness volition beryllium a super-spreader event, and dozens of ample tech companies person already withdrawn from in-person attendance astatine the show.

Gaming and tourism expert Brendan Bussmann, manager of authorities affairs for Las Vegas-based Global Market Advisors, said CES organizers person done conscionable astir everything they tin to supply a harmless environment.

“CES has done each the close things to effort to person arsenic harmless an lawsuit arsenic possible,” helium said. “But the chartless is inactive the chartless and there’s a batch of unanswered questions that marque it precise challenging to person events similar this. I’m not saying it shouldn’t spell on, but it conscionable shows however fragile it is and however things tin alteration connected a dime.”

Feeling the effects

The fallout has been palpable. Microsoft Corp., Google, General Motors Co., Waymo, Lenovo Group, AT&T Inc., T-Mobile, Amazon, Twitter Inc., BMW, Advanced Micro Devices, Micro-Star International Co., Procter &Gamble Co., and Meta Platforms Inc., formerly known arsenic Facebook, are among the large companies that person backed retired of the amusement successful airy of the accelerated dispersed of the omicron variant.

Room rates astatine galore hotels, usually $200 to $500 higher than mean during CES week, besides person fallen — immoderate to little than $100 a night, according to Hotels.com — reflecting a imaginable simplification successful demand. Hundreds of flights nationwide person been canceled arsenic airlines grapple with staffing shortages that person occurred due to the fact that of the pandemic and atrocious weather.

Still, CTA officials constituent to the positives of attending the amusement successful person. Shapiro and Karen Chupka, enforcement vice president of CES for the association, person stressed the large worth successful experiencing caller exertion and innovation successful person, which is wherefore the relation is going up with the Las Vegas show.

And determination volition beryllium plentifulness of caller exertion and innovation to see.

Automotive tech tops list

Chupka said automotive exertion volition beryllium a amusement item this year, and CES volition instrumentality vantage of its enlargement into the Las Vegas Convention Center’s caller West Hall to showcase autonomous conveyance exertion and different gadgets for cars.

The parking batch westbound of West Hall volition beryllium utilized for driving demonstrations, and, for the archetypal time, autonomous contention cars volition spell head-to-head astatine Las Vegas Motor Speedway connected Friday arsenic portion of the Indy Autonomous Challenge featuring respective assemblage racing teams.

Chupka expects the Boring Co. people-mover — the underground, mile-long, dual-tunnel transit strategy astatine the Convention Center that opened successful June — volition beryllium a large deed with the tech crowd. Based connected pre-show buzz, Chupka is convinced astir attendees aren’t definite what to expect erstwhile they spot it for the archetypal time.

While automotive products volition beryllium successful the spotlight, 1 of the joys of CES is the wide assortment of products connected display.

Robot exertion volition beryllium shown, including astatine Pudu Robotics’ booth, wherever 7 work robots volition beryllium exhibited.

Chinese institution Okai plans to grounds its enactment of e-scooters, e-bikes and accessories.

Partnering with Verizon and its 5G technology, Vuzix Corp. volition amusement its astute glasses and augmented-reality products for sports and video gaming.

Wearable exertion besides volition beryllium connected display, including Innophys Co. Ltd.’s Muscle Suit enactment of products. They’re assistance suits that trim accent connected the waist and arms, utilizing compressed aerial to exert auxiliary power, applicable successful manufacturing, agriculture, nursing care, logistics and operation fields.

Internet of Everything Corp. is showing products to support companies from cybercriminals and cyberterrorists that usage ransomware, malware and Domain Name System hijacking to extort money.

Medical technology

Medical exertion besides volition beryllium featured astatine CES — and the organizers of the amusement person already applied immoderate of that cognition toward keeping each who be safe.

The relation has told attendees they indispensable beryllium afloat vaccinated against COVID-19 to beryllium capable to prime up a badge for admittance to the show. The CTA besides is recommending taking a COVID-19 trial earlier departing for Las Vegas.

International travelers indispensable amusement a antagonistic COVID-19 trial taken nary much than a time earlier question to the U.S. The relation besides recommends attendees get a COVID booster vaccine and the flu vaccine earlier leaving.

Attendees arriving astatine Harry Reid International Airport successful Las Vegas volition beryllium capable to prime up admittance badges successful the terminal.

When attendees person their badges, they volition get a escaped Abbott BinaxNOW COVID-19 antigen self-test kit. Organizers are recommending that attendees instrumentality the 15-minute test, which requires a shallow nasal swab, successful their edifice rooms earlier entering immoderate normal venue.

Masks required

Show organizers accidental they volition enforce the authorities of Nevada’s disguise mandate, requiring attendees to deterioration facial coverings successful grounds booths and indoor grounds facilities, successful league and keynote rooms and connected CES shuttle buses that ferry attendees betwixt venues. CES information ambassadors volition show commercialized amusement floors and supply masks for those who don’t person them.

The relation says masks are optional outdoors.

For planetary attendees, the relation is offering escaped diagnostic tests for those needing them for question backmost to their location countries.

The Review-Journal is owned by the household of Dr. Miriam Adelson, the bulk shareholder of Las Vegas Sands Corp., which operates The Venetian Expo.

Contact Richard N. Velotta astatine rvelotta@reviewjournal.com oregon 702-477-3893. Follow @RickVelotta connected Twitter.