CES – one of the first trade shows of any given year – will be going completely digital for its 2021 edition.
The Consumer Technology Association (CTA) announced on Tuesday that CES 2021 will not be an in-person event. The event will move to an entirely digital event due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
“With the growing global health concerns about the spread of COVID-19, it is not possible to safely convene tens of thousands of people in Las Vegas in early January 2021 to meet and do business in person,” the CTA said in a statement.
“An all-digital CES 2021 will allow the entire tech community to safely share ideas and introduce the products that will shape our future,” the organization continued. “You’ll be able to participate in all the awe-inspiring moments of CES wherever you are in the world. We are designing a unique experience for the tech industry.”
CES 2021 was scheduled to run from Jan. 6 to Jan. 9, 2021, but it has not been confirmed if the digital edition will hold to the same dates.
The annual trade show is one of the largest in Las Vegas and takes over the Las Vegas Convention Center, the Sands Expo Center, and various other hotel facilities throughout the city.
As a multi-year attendee during the past decade, this decision is the correct one to make. It is not unusual to return from this show with some form of illness, and I even personally ended up in the Emergency Room one year during the show thanks to a case of the flu I caught at the event.
This is sure to not be the last show in 2021 to cancel, especially those that are earlier in the year.
