Taylor Adams works at the Hyundai Motor Co. booth during CES 2022 at the Las Vegas Convention Center on Wednesday, Jan. 5, 2022.
Wednesday, Jan. 5, 2022 | 5:20 p.m.
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As she walked the Las Vegas Convention Center’s West Hall show floor, Taylor Adams wore a mask and face shield to protect herself from the coronavirus.
The Henderson resident was working at the CES technology show today as a greeter at the Hyundai Motor Co. booth.
Adams said her main source of income is working at conventions and trade shows.
She said she was thrilled to be working this week’s convention, expected to attract about 50,000 attendees. But Adams was discouraged show organizers canceled the final day of CES, which had been scheduled for Saturday, she said.
“I know that the virus is out there,” Adams said. “I’m being cautious.”
Some big companies, including Microsoft, Google, Amazon and AT&T, backed out of in-person participation at the show, which opened today, because of concerns about the coronavirus. The emergence of the highly contagious omicron variant has led to the surge in COVID-19 cases.
The show floor spaces for the 2022 version of CES were noticeably more open than previous years.
“We know that this CES is going to be different,” said Gary Shapiro, president of the Consumer Technology Association, the event’s organizer. He spoke during a ribbon-cutting ceremony to launch the show.
General Motors CEO Mary Barra spoke virtually from Detroit for a keynote talk today. A last-minute cancellation took celebrity Paris Hilton off the schedule for an in-person panel discussion today about the digital assets known as non-fungible tokens, or NFTs.
“Some people were surprised” that Hilton wasn't there, said Amy Stroud, an NFT enthusiast who was in the standing-room-only crowd. CTA didn't respond to a question about her absence.
While droves of showgoers looked at the latest cameras, electric vehicles and wearable tech devices, there was more elbow room than in previous years. CES normally brings about 170,000 attendees to Las Vegas.
This year marks the first time CES has taken place at the convention center’s new West Hall.
Thomas Beshke, a sales professional for software company Intellias, said the opening day of the show was less packed than previous years.
“It’s still a good show,” said Beshke, who has been attending CES for about 12 years. “I really like the West Hall. I think there’s certainly still a lot of benefit there for coming to CES.”
Proof of COVID-19 vaccination is mandatory for all CES participants this year.
At the main terminal of Harry Reid International Airport on Tuesday, about 300 travelers in town for CES waited to pick up their show badges at two special express check-in areas.
Along with badges, they received a package with two COVID-19 self-test kits. Attendees had to show a government-issued ID and proof of vaccination through a smartphone application called Clear.
At the show, people were also offered color-coded stickers to put on their shirts to indicate whether they were comfortable with handshakes.
Beshke, who flew to Las Vegas from Michigan on Tuesday, said traveling to Las Vegas and registering for the show went smoothly.
“The option of us not coming this year was discussed,” Beshke said. “We know that a lot of folks pulled out. It wasn’t forced on anyone to come to CES this year. Those who are here, they saw the value in the in-person show and I think those people are happy they’re here. It’s nice to get out and interact with people, which is rare these days.”
Some at the show noted there was less buzz than in previous years, but people still hustled to different exhibits, often with smartphones or other video equipment to capture the latest gadgets.
Many showgoers entering the West Hall area stopped to get photos taken with a large #CES2022 display.
Ira Kurtze, an attendee from Las Vegas, said he was a little disappointed by the number of exhibitors this year.
Despite some cancelations, CES organizers said they ended up with about 2,300 exhibiting companies this year.
The most recent physical CES — the 2021 version was virtual — in 2020 pumped an estimated $300 million into the Las Vegas economy.
Alan Feldman, a former casino executive and a fellow at the International Gaming Institute at UNLV, has called the show “maybe the most significant event economically of the year in terms of conventions.”
Adams said she hopes the trade show industry doesn’t take another face plant like it did at the onset of the pandemic in early 2020.
Adams said three people she was supposed to work with at the show this week tested positive for the virus, causing a shuffling of schedules.
“Conventions were some of the first things to go at the start of the pandemic,” Adams said. “I’m worried that that will happen again, but I’m thinking positively. Our booth has been busy today.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
