Las Vegas News Bureau
Attendees get a close up look at winners of the CES Innovation Award winners during the first day of the Consumer Electronics Show Tuesday, January 7, 2020, at the Sands Expo Center. (Sam Morris/Las Vegas News Bureau)
Monday, Dec. 27, 2021 | 2:26 p.m.
Major tech companies are continuing to back out of attending next month’s CES gadget show in Las Vegas because of rising COVID-19 cases with the emergence of the omicron variant.
The likes of AT&T, Microsoft, General Motors and Google are saying they will not have representatives at the show, reverting instead to virtual participation.
Still, CES officials say more than 2,200 tech companies will be on hand when the largest convention of the year opens Jan. 5. The show will be conducted at the Las Vegas Convention Center and other sites.
Attendees must be fully vaccinated, produce a negative COVID test within 24 hours of picking up a convention badge and wear a face mask, officials said. Exhibitors will also receive free COVID testing kits.
Officials say they are monitoring health guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Nevada and Clark County and will adjust as necessary.
The event, which in a typical year boasts 170,000 conventioneers, was held virtually this year because of the pandemic.
“Our focus remains on convening the tech industry and giving those who cannot attend in person the ability to experience the magic of CES digitally,” officials said in a Twitter post in response to some companies pulling out.
Waymo, the self-driving car company, in a blog post announcing its switch to attending virtually said “the safety and wellbeing of our team is top of mind for us and informed this tough decision. Going forward, once this most recent surge is under control, our team will continue to build out impactful, engaging, and safe events so that our key audiences and stakeholders can experience Waymo.”
Transportation and vehicle technology will be heavily featured, with the automotive sector accounting for at least 200 exhibitors, officials said. They include BMW showing off its in-car movie theater experience and Hyundai Motor Co. presenting its vision for robotics and the metaverse.
In-person exhibitors won’t include General Motors, which pulled out late last week and will instead take an “all-digital approach,” company officials said.
CEO Mary Barra was scheduled to give a keynote address revealing the Chevrolet Silverado EV, and the automaker was expected to have a major presence. That’s all shifting to an online platform.
Others that have announced a change of plans include gaming accessory maker HyperX, chipmaker Intel, social media giants Twitter and TikTok, Amazon, T-Mobile and Pinterest. T-Mobile CEO Mike Sievert backed out of giving a featured address, saying in a Twitter post that the company would “significantly limit our in-person participation.”
Intel said it would have minimal on-site staff.
Despite the last-minute cancellations, the Consumer Technology Association, which puts on CES, is moving forward with the show, CEO Gary Shapiro said.
“We’re going to mask, test and require vaccination,” he said.
Lori Nelson-Kraft, senior vice president of communication for the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, said in a statement the technology association has done “a terrific job of implementing additional layers of health and safety measures.”
“Here at the Las Vegas Convention Center and throughout the Las Vegas destination, we continue to provide the gold standard of all known and available health and safety protocols and continue to follow all guidance by health experts and our local and state leaders,” she said.
Las Vegas Sun reporter Bryan Horwath contributed to this report.
