What Doesn’t Go To Vegas: CES 2021 Goes All-Digital

We’re not even into August, but given the ongoing COVID-19 situation plaguing the globe, it’s seemed obvious to nearly every regular CES attendee that 2021’s event would not be happening. Well, the Consumer Technology Association has taken its good ol’ time, but has finally coughed it up: CES will be going digital for 2021.

Big news?

CES 2021 is going all-digital! Get ready for a new immersive experience where you’ll have a front row seat to the action https://t.co/IzmHDpIu1Y

— CES (@CES) July 28, 2020

The fact that this decision was finally made means the huge number of companies who attend CES can begin making proper arrangements. To many, this might be familiar territory already, as many other trade shows have had to go online-only this year already. Here’s CES’ break-down for what 2021’s event will include:

• Keynotes and conferences. Now you’ll have a front-row seat for groundbreaking announcements and insights from the world’s tech leaders completely online.
• Product showcase. With this digital evolution of the CES show floor, you’ll be able to explore products and services, based on your interests and business, through dynamic product showcases or live demos.
• Meetings and networking. You’ll be able to engage with the brands, thought leaders and business connections you care about with live interactions, meetups or roundtable discussions.

Interestingly, there is no mention of VR being used yet for CES 2021, although we hope some remote content could become available that non-attendees will also be able to check out. After all, just because this is “all digital” doesn’t mean it can’t be immersive at times.

CES goes full digital, but you’re required to agree to eat poorly and get no sleep for three days if you want to attendhttps://t.co/fJAqlPmW5l

— Daniel Bader (@journeydan) July 28, 2020

For sites like Techgage, CES’ cancellation means we’ll get more than the usual amount of content written during CES week. The reality is, the vast majority of companies many PC hardware-focused websites meet up with at CES skirt the official rules and house themselves in a random hotel on the Las Vegas strip. We’d expect a lot of these companies will continue to do their own thing, which means that journalists are likely to have many individual sign-ups to take care of in order to see everything.