CES 2022 is the world's largest technology fair. More and more participants at the CES 2022 technology exhibition in Las Vegas, United States, are canceling their physical presence on January 5-8 due to the increasing number of Covid-19 cases in America, as well as the world, through the presence of the Omicron variant. North American research firm GfK announced the transition of its automotive technology presentation into a virtual event.
"Due to growing concerns over employee health, GfK will not be present at CES 2022 in Las Vegas," the company said in a statement.
Gfk follows a long line of participants who have done the same in the last 48 hours. Among them are Panasonic, IBM, Mercedes-Benz, BMW, AMD, and OnePlus which either canceled live presence or announced plans to go digital-only. Others include T-Mobile, Microsoft, Google, Meta and Intel. However, despite many canceling live attendance, the schedule for CES 2022 will still be held on January 5-8. Despite the list of attendees not attending in person, the Consumer Technology Association (CTA)—the event's owner—said on December 23 that additional exhibitors had signed up to appear in person on the exhibition floor.
“While we recently received 42 exhibitor cancellations (less than 7 percent of our exhibition floor),” CTA said, adding that since December 17 his team had added 60 new exhibitors for the face-to-face event.
A number of high-profile tech companies are on the physical no-show list. Regarding this, CTA emphasized that the exhibition location is also open to small and medium-sized companies. More than 2200 companies are said to be participating directly at CES 2022 Las Vegas. The focus of the event will remain on hosting the tech industry and giving those who couldn't attend in person the ability to experience the magic of CES digitally. CTA President Gary Shapiro explained that CES 2022 will bring more small companies than big ones. According to him, this could be a big gap in the exhibition, even though it was different from previous years.
"While this is risky and will be uncomfortable, CES will and must continue," Shapiro said in a post on his LinkedIn
The CTA also said they believe visitor attendance will be lower because of it. However, with the vaccination and mask requirements, social distancing measures and the availability of Covid-19 tests for participants will make the event safer. The rapid spread of the Omicron variant and the increasing number of Covid-19 cases have made many parties nervous. On December 28, America surpassed 431,000 new daily cases—much higher than the peak of last winter's pandemic on January 8, 2021, when it surpassed 294,000 new daily cases.
Here's a list of companies that have changed their minds to attend CES 2022 in person,
• Mercedes-Benz
The automaker announced that it was canceling its physical presence.
• Magna
A spokesman for the auto parts maker, Magna, decided to withdraw from CES 2022 and canceled the press conference via email sent to the organizers.
• AMD
After careful consideration, AMD has decided to cancel its live presence at CES 2022 and will instead switch to virtual experiences. This is in the best interest of the health and safety of our employees, partners and communities.
• OnePlus
The phone maker had previously planned a presence in Las Vegas. However, CNET confirmed that the company is canceling its face-to-face plans.
• Microsoft
The company explains that the health and well-being of employees is a top priority. After reviewing the latest data on the rapidly evolving state of Covid-19, Microsoft decided not to participate in person at CES 2022, Microsoft said it would join the event virtually.
• Google and Waymo
The tech giant has been closely monitoring the development of the Omicron variant and has decided that withdrawing from CES 2022 is the best option for the health and safety of the team. This includes Alphabet's Waymo, Google's parent company, which focuses on self-driving cars, making a similar statement
• GM
The company won't be sending employees or executives to the event. CEO Mary Barra will deliver her keynote address online at CES 2022.
• Intel
The chipmaker said it would reduce its team presence. After consulting health officials and referring to Intel's safety policies, plans for CES will shift to a digital-first, hands-on experience, with fewer staff in attendance.
• Lenovo
Lenovo claims to continue to closely monitor Covid-19 at this time. In the best interests of the health and safety of our employees, customers, partners, and communities, Lenovo is suspending all activity at its Las Vegas location.
• TikTok
TikTok decided to host a virtual TikTok CES experience for the brand and its partners.
• AT&T
An AT&T spokesperson announced that the health and safety of employees and customers is a top priority and so it has decided not to participate in person at CES 2022.
• Meta
The company announced that it would not be attending CES in person. The reason is because of the growing public health problems related to Covid-19.
Twitter announced that it has decided to cancel live attendance at CES
• Amazon and Ring
According to Amazon, due to the rapidly changing situation and uncertainty surrounding the omicron variant, it will no longer be present on site at CES. A spokesperson for Ring, Amazon's home security subsidiary, also issued an identical statement.
The company announces changes to its planned absence at CES
• Nvidia
The company has been careful from the start and will send a virtual address
• T-Mobile
Most of his team will not go to CES 2022 Las Vegas, although the company will remain a sponsor. T-Mobile prioritized the safety of the team and other participants with this decision.
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