The news hit the media a few hours ago and confirms some of the omens that warned that this event related to consumer technology would not take place in 2021 as we know it until now. Some media already warned that this could happen and finally it has been, the CES that takes place in the month of January is canceled and gives way to a reinvented CES.
The new format of the CES in Las Vegas will offer participants the possibility of presenting their products and new devices through a fully digital experience. This means that the streams will be the protagonists of the presentations that are made there.
COVID-19 continues to affect major events around the world
It is true that there is a long way to go for this event but it is expected that we will not have an official solution for COVID-19 for some time, while this happens, events of the size of CES cannot be held as before, in person, already that bring together thousands of people from all over the world in one place. This right now is impossible to carry out and it seems that January 2021 will remain the same, so the event organizers have decided to postpone it until 2021 in its usual format.
In statements to the media, Gary Shapiro, President and CEO, CTAHe explained:
Amid the pandemic and growing global health concerns about the spread of COVID-19, it is simply not possible to safely convene tens of thousands of people in Las Vegas in early January 2021 to meet and do business in person. Technology helps all of us work, learn and connect during the pandemic, and that innovation will also help us reimagine this edition of CES 2021 to bring the technology community together. By switching to a fully digital platform by 2021, we can deliver a unique experience that helps our exhibitors connect with existing and new audiences.
So looking at the picture we can think that other important events that take place in 2021 could be affected by the current health situation. It is more important to keep people safe than to hold an event of such magnitude and then have to regret it. Apple held the last WWDC keynote and its developer conferences via streaming, something that can happen the same in the presentation of the new iPhone in the coming month of September.
