The Consumer Technology Association said today that the Consumer Technology Association has cut the last day of its 2022 tech conference in Las Vegas, and the event will now end on January 7th. In the context of an increase in COVID-19 diagnosis, the shortened timeline is “an extra safety measure.”
Several major corporations, including BMW, Intel, AMD, GM, Google, T-Mobile, Amazon, Microsoft, and the business formerly known as Facebook, have dropped their physical presence at the conference in the last two weeks. It’s the world’s largest technology conference, attracting more than 10,000 attendees each year.
The United States set a new COVID record yesterday, with the highest number of infections recorded daily, breaking a previous high set the day before. In Clark County, Nevada, where 11 percent of COVID tests are positive, Las Vegas is the epicenter of the epidemic. The COVID tracker in Nevada has identified Clark County as a high-risk location for disease transmission.
The CTA said in an emailed statement that more than 2,200 exhibitors have confirmed their attendance at CES. Despite the fact that exhibitors have cut back on their trips to Las Vegas, Gary Shapiro, the CTA’s president and CEO, has stated that the event “will and must go on.” According to the CTA’s statement today, 143 businesses have signed up for in-person exhibits in the previous two weeks.
To receive their badges, attendees must provide proof of vaccination. The CTA has also requested that they test for COVID-19 within 24 hours of arriving at the conference, and will be providing free fast testing to assist them accomplish this. The concert will need masks, and international travelers will receive a free PCR test after the show.
The lengthening of the event comes after two weeks of firms declaring their shift to virtual-only plans for CES 2022, which started with T-Mobile and has since expanded to include a slew of others. Despite the dropouts, the CTA reported that 143 new organizations signed up to attend the in-person event within the same time period. Mercedes’ statement, which was released on December 29, echoes the sentiments of many other corporations that are now staging solely digital CES presentations.
“Our top priority is the health and safety of our customers, partners, workers, and visitors. Following extensive consultations, we’ve decided to cancel Mercedes-Benz AG’s participation in CES 2022 due to the present situation with the COVID-19 virus “On Dec. 29, a spokeswoman for the automaker said through email.