CES hosts say the show will proceed despite COVID-19; Meta, Amazon, Twitter, and others canceled in-person plans, T-Mobile and AMD plan a limited presence
CES had already been framed as a physical-and-digital event for the following year in the Consumer Technology Association's hybrid CES plan. The first wave of withdrawals by Meta, Amazon, Ring, and Twitter made that contingency immediately relevant, even as T-Mobile and AMD retained a reduced on-site role.
The decision to continue creates a split event: CES remains open, but several of its highest-profile technology companies have moved away from in-person participation. Related coverage shows the withdrawal list subsequently widened to Google, GM, Waymo, Intel, and Microsoft.
First-order effects
CES organizers must run the show with a diminished in-person presence from Meta, Amazon, Twitter, T-Mobile, and AMD rather than a uniform exhibitor commitment.
Meta, Amazon, and Twitter lose the on-site CES channel, while T-Mobile and AMD constrain their physical exposure through limited attendance.
Second-order effects
Google, GM, Waymo, Intel, and Microsoft following the initial wave of company cancellations turns individual attendance decisions into a competitive and operational signal for other CES participants.
Companies that still want CES visibility are pushed toward digital activity or smaller on-site teams, making the event's audience reach less dependent on a full exhibition-floor presence.
Third-order effects
The widening pullout pattern, culminating in Microsoft joining the cancellations, reinforces hybrid event design as a standing alternative rather than a one-off backup for large tech gatherings.
If major exhibitors can preserve launch and media activity without full attendance, event organizers will face a more variable commitment model in which physical presence can contract quickly while the event itself continues.
The trend: Large technology events are moving toward hybrid operating models that let organizers continue even when major exhibitors reduce or cancel in-person participation.
CES says the show will proceed in person despite the recent dropouts, which it said accounted for less than 7% of exhibitor space. https://www.bloomberg.com/... https://twitter.com/... https://twitter.com/...
I'm sorry we'll miss seeing everyone at CES this year, but we are prioritizing the safety of our team and other attendees. Our statement here: https://www.t-mobile.com/...
With omicron surging, going to #CES2022 is not advised. @bajarin will attend, but even masked and booster-vaxed, it's too risky. Remember: CES 2020 was the first superspreader event. CES 2022-To Go Or Not To Go - Keeping Safe Is The Question via @forbes https://www.forbes.com/...
this reminds me of when the GSMA insisted Mobile World Congress 2020 would go ahead, and everyone just dropped out in the days before. It's so easy to come back sick from CES during a normal year, so absolutely no thanks during a COVID surge https://twitter.com/...
Some CES thoughts: Media cancellations matter to a very specific slice of the show. It's a sizable slice, but it's nowhere near a majority. Cancellations from big tech matter more, but still ignore the massive number of smaller vendors who have been banking on CES happening.
#CES2022 - To Go Or Not To Go - Keeping Safe Is The Question 😷 “given the new #Omicron threat hovering around all of us, the decision to go to CES in January is a very personal one.” #technology by @Bajarin https://www.forbes.com/...
Heads up! @cnet's #CES2022 coverage will be all remote (to keep our staff and communities safe) and full of peeks at the best of what's to come next year. We've been working on this content for months and can't wait to share it.
A lot of journos deciding not to go as well. Going to be a lot of empty stands and hotel rooms in Vegas this January, and Mobile World Congress is probably going the same way. Even @shmoocon is getting some cancellations. https://twitter.com/...
I really feel for the CTA, it had no choice but to press on with #CES2022, but that doesn't make it an event I'd rush to attend. Such a shame though. Like last year, I will miss being there, seeing everyone, and trying new tech. https://www.bloomberg.com/...
RIP CES, again. January is unfortunately the worst timing for a conference in this COVID-19 world: Early enough in the year to be hopeful, but late enough in the winter that the quick surge makes it difficult to cancel and unclear when to reschedule to. https://twitter.com/...