CES Vows To Go On With The Show

Organizers of the annual CES tech conference in Las Vegas are putting on a brave face as Omicron spreads, insisting the show will go on — but some big names already are pulling out, The NY Post has learned.

Graphics chip giant Nvidia, JPMorgan and PepsiCo all confirmed on Tuesday that they’re bowing out of in-person CES events.  Meta, Twitter, Pinterest and iHeartMedia also have said they won’t attend.

Still, organizers of the annual Las Vegas electronics showcase say the event is going to happen — in-person — Jan. 5 to 8. The last time the event happened in-person was in January 2020, just before the pandemic’s worst months; the 2021 in-person show was canceled.

The event typically draws more than 100,000 people to conference centers and hotels, as gadget-makers aim to make deals with each other and use elaborate booths to grab media attention.

They’ll have a harder time doing that this year, with journalists from CNN, The Verge, Forbes, MarketWatch, Engadget, TechCrunch and The New York Times’ Wirecutter all saying this week that they’re skipping the event due to coronavirus concerns.

CES said in a statement to The Post that thousands of participants still were attending. “We are confident that attendees and exhibitors will have a socially distanced, but worthwhile and productive event,” CES said.

Organizers are requiring proof of vaccination for attendees and plan to pass out free rapid coronavirus tests that they “recommend” attendees use before entering events.

Some would-be attendees say the optional testing plan doesn’t go far enough given the current onslaught of coronavirus cases among vaccinated people.

Behind the scenes, executives at the Consumer Technology Association — which organizes CES — are launching a charm offensive to keep attendees on board, sending out reassurances that they’re monitoring the coronavirus closely.