Technology

Google cancels CES in-person presence, event organizers going ahead with show

Google cancels CES in-person presence, event organizers going ahead with show

At CES 2022 in Las Vegas, almost 2200 firms have confirmed their attendance. Our focus will continue on bringing the tech sector together and allowing people who are unable to come in person to experience the beauty of CES through digital means. Companies large and small from all around the world will be able to debut products, create brands, and form collaborations at CES 2022. 

We are confident that attendees and exhibitors can have a socially distant but worthwhile and productive event in Las Vegas, or while experiencing it online, thanks to CES’ comprehensive health measures — vaccination requirement, masking, and availability of COVID-19 tests — combined with lower attendance and social distancing measures.

Lenovo made the first big announcement of the day, followed by Waymo and Intel. Now it appears that Google is withdrawing completely from its CES appearance. According to a corporate representative, TechCrunch, We had chosen not to a presence on the show floor of CES 2022 after thorough study. We have been keeping a close eye on the Omicron variant’s progress and have determined that it is the greatest option for our teams’ health and safety. 

Google cancels CES in-person presence, event organizers going ahead with show

We will keep working closely with CTA and our partners to find and promote virtual possibilities, and we are excited to share the newest Google developments with you all. Given the recent announcement from sibling Alphabet Company Waymo, Google’s plan to lean towards a virtual presence is not altogether shocking. 

Nonetheless, the software behemoth has established itself as a major player in recent years, thanks to its Nest line of smart home devices and Pixel smartphones. Google’s elaborate outdoor exhibitions have been a fixture at the Las Vegas Convention Center parking lot for numerous years. Despite the fact that big name losses continue to pile up, the show’s regulatory body, the CTA, remains adamant in its resolve to keep the event running in early January. 

T-Mobile, AT&T, Meta, Twitter, Amazon, TikTok, and Pinterest, as well as a number of media sites, including TechCrunch, have joined the list of firms staying away from Vegas due to omicron fears. We have contacted the CTA in light of this recent development, which is a bad omen coming into the long holiday weekend. At the time of the organization’s latest response, 42 cancellations had reported, accounting for around 7% of the show floor. 

That number has undoubtedly changed since the last report, as both large players and startups have begun to reconsider their participation in the event. Nobody wants to be the first major corporation to pull out of an event, but the comparisons to MWC’s cancellation in the early days of the epidemic are becoming more impossible to ignore. The departure of so many major names in such a short period tends to pave the way for even more.