Since With the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic at the beginning of 2020, new irony has been introduced into the “What will happen” journalism category. What to expect from a major trade show? Who knows! Who knows if it will even happen! But this is happening – at least for now. Here is the big one: CES, the giant annual consumer electronics festival in Las Vegas, Nevada. And it’s happening both IRL and online.
We still don’t know exactly how many tech manufacturers, marketers and analysts still feel brave enough to attend in person, where proof of vaccination is required. The last time CES was held in person, in January 2020, an estimated 170,000 people attended. Last year, in 2021, we went through CES completely through our screen. That’s not very exciting, but again, it’s not about dodging microscopic virus particles in a crowded casino.
When WIRED spoke with the Consumer Technology Association in mid-December, the trade organization that organizes the show, CTA declined to share how many people signed up for this year’s event. And since then, some big tech companies withdrew from the program, including Google, Microsoft, Amazon, Lenovo, Intel, T-Mobile, AT&T, Meta, TikTok, and Pinterest. More than 150 companies marked their attendance is “digital only”. ” And just two days ago, the CTA shortened the event by one day — from four days to three days — due to pandemic concerns.
“What we’ve seen at trade shows in general is that they have about 30 to 50 percent attendance from previous years,” said Jean Foster, CTA senior vice president of marketing. “If we end up in that 50 percent range, we’ll do pretty well.”
What we do know is that all important on-stage presentations will be streamed live to remote attendees. Several emerging technology categories will be highlighted this year, like NFT. The automotive section of the show has grown even more dramatically than in previous years, and keynote speakers include GM chief executive Mary Barra and US Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg. Digital health will still be a priority, everyday household products will be integrated with artificial intelligence, laptop manufacturers will do their best to make things interesting. and in case you haven’t had enough screens in the last two years, will are giant, brilliant screens. Some of which we may have had to look through our own screens: WIRED has also decided to cover the event remotely.
New frontier
One of the new categories at this year’s exhibition is space technology. Foster says the current “space race” is what drives the CTA to introduce the category.
“The fact that there is so much private investment and attention in companies like Blue Origin and SpaceX means that enough companies are currently interested and will actually come and exhibit,” Foster said. These exhibitors range from Sierra Space, a subsidiary of the Sierra Nevada Corporation that is building space planes to carry cargo to the ISS; arrive Zero-WOOD, charter private zero-gravity flights.
