In a statement sent to Axios, the Consumer Technology Association, the organization that runs CES, said it has no plan of postponing the event or moving to virtual programming.
“CES will still take place Jan. 5-8 in Las Vegas with strong safety measures in place,” the CTA said. The organization added that it has received thousands of new event registrations in just the last week.
Safety measures include providing two rapid tests to every attendee in addition to requiring all attendees to be fully vaccinated and masked at all times. Organizers have also reportedly widened aisles and enhanced the venue’s ventilation system. Attendees will also reportedly a sticker that shows whether or not they are comfortable with a handshake. And despite concerns raised from some attendees, CTA’s Senior Vice president of Marketing and Communications Jean Foster claimed the total number of exhibitors topped 2,100 on Monday.
T-Mobile, Amazon, Meta, Twitter, Pinterest, iHeartRadio, and others have announced they won’t attend the event in person.
In a statement, CES staple T-Mobile said that while it is confident event organizers are taking precautionary steps it would nonetheless “significantly limit” its in-person presence in an effort to prioritize the safety of its team and others in attendance. Its departure means CEO Mike Sievert will also no longer offer his planned keynote speech.
LG told The Verge it’s still planning on attending the event but said it is making use of QR codes and AR in place of a traditional booth.
So far CNET, Engadget, TechCrunch, The Verge, Tom’s Guide, and TechRadar have also announced they won’t attend the event in person.
