The annual Consumer Electronic Show (CES) convention that is conducted in Las Vegas by the Consumer Technology Association (CTA) each year is one of the biggest tech events on a global scale, for the tech industry that draws up to over a whopping 1,80,000 people every January! And what more? It’s going all online. That is the CES 2021 to be held in January’21 will be entirely conducted in a virtual manner amid growing safety concerns while the COVID-19 pandemic rages on, according to CTA CEO Gary Shapiro.
This is likely going to be a massive hit or setback for those tech marketers who look up to the annual tradeshow convention to showcase and display their products and upcoming launches. These are capable of drawing tremendous attention from press media, tech enthusiasts, fans, large scale buyers and even end users. As of 2020, CES was the last major technology-based event to have taken place on such a scale in person. It is usually followed by the World Mobile Congress in February in Barcelona. However, the same was cancelled this year as COVID-19 spread around the globe like wildfire.
While following an all online and digital format is the right way forward for the event, the announcement also provides more time to the exhibitors and business partners to plan up on putting up an engaging and electrifying experience for all the viewers.
The virtual show will feature important keynote speakers and other dignitaries. The digital audience can view their favourite speakers, cutting-edge technologies comfortably sitting at their home or office. While in its entire history of over 50 years, never has it ever been conducted in such a manner, this is surely a first time experience for all looking forward to it. While it will be conducted in the first week of January’21, the 2022 event is expected to be a hybrid mix of both physical and digital platforms.
According to the CEO, it was a very hard decision to cancel the physical event of CES 2020 and was taken after consulting many of its employees and other stakeholders, even after trying to pour more efforts into making the 2021 event as safe as possible. But on the positive side, since this is a first, it may also open up roads to new innovative possibilities that will not only allow everyone to attend it but also all the technological advances that are to be showcased.
While the event is expected to run between 6th and 9th January 2021, not much has been revealed regarding the details of how it will be conducted or related matters. In Shapiro’s own words, “Technology helps us all work, learn and connect during the pandemic - and that innovation will also help us re-imagine CES 2021 and bring together the tech community in a meaningful way.”
So, we can only look forward to what CES 2021 will hold for us and how much better it will be. What other technological marvels can we look forward to, only time will tell!
Deepanjan Datta
Management student who likes to write articles at times, into mobile photography and likes to cook as a hobby.
