By Mike Shoro Las Vegas Review-Journal December 9, 2021
CES is growing in attendees and exhibitors as the annual trade show moves closer to its Las Vegas return.
The Consumer Technology Association, which puts on the annual show, announced Thursday that the show gained 10,000 attendees and 200 exhibitors in the last 10 days. CES will return to an in-person show in Las Vegas after it shifted entirely online earlier this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The consumer electronics show spans from Jan. 5 to Jan. 8.
TikTok, NVIDIA, HTC, Cenntro Automotive and Micron are among the latest companies to join the show. More than 1,900 exhibitors are now scheduled to show off their gadgets, gizmos and tech, and about 2,400 media members are registered to cover them.
“The excitement continues to build as we get closer to the moment where the world’s most influential technology innovators meet in person with customers, media, investors and policymakers,” association president and CEO Gary Shapiro said in a written statement.
Shapiro has said he doesn’t expect typical prepandemic attendance at the upcoming event. Previous shows often drew 170,000 or more guests from all over the world. The 2020 show drew an estimated 180,000 people, according to the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority.
There were “tens of thousands” of registered attendees as of late November, CES executive vice president Karen Chupka said last month. A CES representative did not respond to a message seeking an updated number of attendees.
The show will have a digital-only option for those who can’t make it to Las Vegas. Registration opened Thursday.
New show categories this year include food tech, space tech and nonfungible tokens. CES’ automotive section will feature more than 200 exhibitors, which organizers said is on pace for record growth and marks a 30 percent increase over the 2020 CES show.
Proof of COVID-19 vaccination is required for everyone attending CES 2022, which will use the Clear app to verify people’s status. Show organizers have said they will release additional health and safety requirement information sometime this month.
The technology association hasn’t decided whether it will require people to wear masks at the show. Masks are still required for indoor spaces, though conventions that require vaccines for all attendees can choose to go maskless under a directive issued by Gov. Steve Sisolak earlier this year.
Contact Mike Shoro at [email protected] or 702-387-5290. Follow @mike_shoro on Twitter. Review-Journal staff writer Colton Lochhead contributed to this report.