The Consumer Technology Association has announced that CES will no longer go ahead in January 2021. In a statement, organizers say that the 2021 show will now be an “all-digital experience.”
“Amid the pandemic,” said CTA chief Gary Shapiro, “it’s just not possible to safely convene tens of thousands of people in Las Vegas in early January.” The decision is not really a surprise, since a number of other events have been pulled as the pandemic has gone on. In June, the CTA said that it was expecting CES 2021 to be live, in Las Vegas. Not anymore.
Back in April, there was a news story suggesting that the 2020 event had helped with the spread of the virus. The event had 182,000 attendees from all over the world, all of whom were packed tight into trade show halls, so it could be.
The CTA had said, for CES 2021, that it was expecting to take a lot of extra precautions so that the show to go ahead. These included wider aisles, more space in meeting and breakout areas and sanitation of booths and tables. No doubt, a number of companies would prefer to stay at home rather than spend a lot of money on the event.
Source Engadget
