Attendance for CES in Las Vegas rose to nearly 150,000
People watch as the Sharpa North robot deals poker at the Sharpa booth during the CES tech show Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher) Photo by:
Friday, April 3, 2026 | 2 a.m.
Editor's note: Este artículo está traducido al español.
The annual CES technology conference in Las Vegas attracted 148,392 attendees in January, marking another year-over-year increase for one of the world’s largest business gatherings, according to the Consumer Technology Association.
The figure represents steady growth from 142,465 attendees last year and 138,739 in 2024. International interest remained strong, with 55,841 participants — 37.6% of the total — traveling from 141 countries to attend the conference, which is organized and overseen by the association.
“For CMOs and business leaders deciding where to invest their time and resources, credible, independently audited metrics matter,” Kinsey Fabrizio, the Consumer Technology Association’s president, said in a statement. “CES is once again the largest audited annual business event and the audit is a powerful signal that the companies at the forefront of innovation are choosing CES to connect, collaborate and do business.”
The show was the first staged in the renovated Las Vegas Convention Center, which underwent a $600 million project connecting the North and South halls.
The show floor spanned more than 2.6 million square feet and hosted over 4,100 exhibitors, including about 1,200 startups, the audit showed. Of the 2025 Fortune 500, 307 companies were represented at the event.
Some 2,162 investors attended to scout startups, the association said, and 7,037 media members, content creators and industry analysts covered the show.
Attendance was strong in several fast-growing technology categories, the association said.
AI-focused attendees numbered 39,929, up 22% from the previous year. Robotics drew 19,605 attendees, a 26% increase, while the marketing and advertising track saw 13,433 participants, up 10%.
The conference program featured more than 400 sessions with more than 1,400 speakers, alongside 189 government leaders and policymakers.
CES will return to the convention center Jan. 6, 2027.
“No other place in the world can support a show of our complexity, with over 4,000 exhibitors,” said Gary Shapiro, the association’s executive chair and outgoing CEO. “And no other place continues to invest so ambitiously in a better attendee experience.”