A number of high-profile companies are withdrawing plans to physically attend CES 2022 at Las Vegas next month because of rising COVID-19 cases. CES is the largest annual tech conference in the world, held every year in Las Vegas, Nevada. The last time the event was held normally was in 2020 just weeks before the world became acquainted with COVID-19.
Last year, the event was held online because of the pandemic, but organizers were hoping to get back to some semblance of normalcy this year following a year-long vaccination campaign. However, the rise of the Omicron variant seems to be throwing life out of gear once again, with multiple big-ticket withdrawals already. While a number of companies had earlier dropped their plans of in-person attendance at CES 2022, the latest names now further appear to have thrown the world’s largest tech show in jeopardy.
Following a long line of influential companies withdrawing from in-person attendance at CES 2022, Friday saw multiple new names being added to the list. Google and Microsoft are the most prominent of those who rejigged their CES plans, citing Omicron concerns. In a statement to TechCrunch, Google said it took the decision to suspend in-person activities at the venue in the best interest of its employees, although it still plans to “identify and support virtual opportunities.” The company also said it is working with its partners and CES organizers to share “the latest Google innovations” virtually at CES 2022. In a statement to The Verge, Microsoft provided a similar confirmation, opting to have a digital presence at the event instead.
Lenovo And Waymo Also Ditch In-Person Attendance
Lenovo, and Waymo have also extricated themselves from an in-person element at the event, while Intel says it will restrict its physical presence at the show to the extent possible. In a media statement, the chip-maker said it will move to a “digital-first, live experience, with minimal on-site staff,” according to TechCrunch. Waymo also joined the exodus this week because of the “quickly rising COVID-19 infection rates.” In a blog post on Thursday, the company said it was still planning to attend some of the CES events virtually.
With the Omicron variant rising fast in the U.S. and around the world, the number of companies and exhibitors that have changed their plans keeps increasing. More than 40 companies, including GM, AT&T, T-Mobile, Amazon, TikTok, and Meta had earlier withdrawn their in-person plans. In spite of all this, the Consumer Technology Association (CTA), the organizers of the show, is insisting that the event will go ahead as planned.
In a statement to TechCrunch following Google’s announcement, CTA head Gary Shapiro said that the organizers are taking “comprehensive health measures” for in-person attendance at the event, including mandatory vaccination requirement and masking. Shapiro also cited the availability of COVID-19 tests at the event, lower attendance, and social distancing measures, and claimed that CES 2022 exhibitors and visitors will be able to experience a “worthwhile and productive event in Las Vegas” despite the rising cases.
Source: TechCrunch, Waymo, The Verge
