CES 2021 Is Now Cancelled As Well, Some Digital Activities Will take Place

With COVID-19 still raging across the globe, CTA the organisation behind CES has made the wise decision to cancel CES 2021, at least in its physical form. It's the first exhibition in 2021 that the virus has affected. 

CES 2021 in Las Vegas was programmed to take place in early January, but with the disastrous pandemic response in the US, the CTA doesn't think the country will be ready to host international events by next year. CTA president and CEO Gary Shapiro sent out an email with the now all-too-familiar COVID cancellation language. "Amid the pandemic and growing global health concerns about the spread of COVID-19," Shapiro wrote, "it's just not possible to safely convene tens of thousands of people in Las Vegas in early January 2021 to meet and do business in person.”

Shapiro said CES 2021 is "shifting to an all-digital platform for 2021" and offering "a unique experience that helps our exhibitors connect with existing and new audiences." On its website, the CTA claims it will provide a rough online equivalent to the three major pillars of CES: "Keynotes and conferences," "Product showcases," and "Meetings and networking."

CES started in 1967, in a time before the Internet communication revolution, and today it regularly pulls in 150,000+ attendees from around the world. The CTA’s decision to discard the in-person version of CES is also more confirmation that even as the US economy reopens, it will likely be a long time before comprehensive events can resume with business as usual.