John Locher / AP
In this Jan. 7, 2020, file photo, crowds enter the convention center on the first day of the CES tech show, in Las Vegas.
Thursday, Dec. 2, 2021 | 3:40 p.m.
When the CES gadget show opens next month in Las Vegas, it will likely welcome about half the number of attendees as the 2020 show.
In an email, Jamie Kaplan, a spokeswoman for the Consumer Technology Association, the organization that puts on CES, predicted attendance at the 2022 show would be about half the 171,000 at the 2020 event. The show runs from Jan. 5 through 8.
“Registration is still open and people are still registering, so it is still too early to accurately predict (attendance),” Kaplan said. “In general, recent events have seen about 50%, and that would be a reasonable benchmark.”
Because of the coronavirus pandemic, CES hosted an all-digital conference earlier this year. The 2020 show was the last live edition.
The virus has stifled the Las Vegas convention industry, and CES has been looked at as a key indicator for where the recovering industry stands.
Traditionally, CES has been one of the biggest conventions in Las Vegas.
The Consumer Technology Association and Nevada tourism officials are tracking the recently identified omicron variant of the virus.
The variant was discovered in Africa and has been detected in the United States, including in California, according to health officials. Health officials are studying whether it is more transmissible or severe, and how effective current vaccines are against it.
Over 1,700 exhibitors have committed to participate in next month’s show, organizers said. All participants must be vaccinated against the coronavirus.
