CES 2022 may be canceled, many companies withdraw


CES 2022 could finally be canceled. While the Omicron variant is wreaking havoc in the United States, many brands prefer to skip the tech show.

the CES 2022, the famous Las Vegas technology show, is in the hot seat. After a 2021 edition exclusively online, the show was to sign the return of traditional conferences in physical presence. The spread of a new variant of Covid-19, the much feared Omicron, appears to complicate organizations’ plans.

In the USA, the Omicron variant spreads extremely quickly. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Omicron now accounts for 73% of contaminations in the United States. In some states, this rate rises to 95%.

Towards a cancellation of CES? Amazon, Meta and Twitter opt out

Fearing to endanger their teams, several companies preferred skip the CES 2022. Twitter, Meta and Pinterest announced their decision not to attend the CES show earlier this week. Meta (ex-Facebook) points the finger “The evolution of public health concerns related to COVID-19”.

Preferring to settle for virtual events, Twitter said: “Due to the surge in Covid cases across the country over the past week, we have decided to cancel our in-person presence at CES next month. We will continue to actively monitor the situation in the New Year ”.

Other companies expected at the turn have made a similar decision. This is the case of Amazon, whose subsidiary Ring will be absent subscribers. T-Mobile, the US operator, will also be absent. “We are prioritizing the safety of our team and other participants with this decision”, says T-Mobile. A similar situation had caused the cancellation of the MWC in 2020.

For now, the organizers do not plan to cancel the event. “We focus a lot on running this show, making it safe and having the right protocols in place to make sure people feel comfortable”, reassures Jean Foster, senior vice-president of marketing and communications at CTA, the organization in charge of CES, during an interview. The show is scheduled to be held January 5-8, 2022 in the city of Las Vegas.



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