CES Bouncing Back Strongly From Pandemic, Says CEO
CES 2023 ought to greater than double final yr’s attendance, claims Gary Shapiro
The world’s largest know-how present is anticipating round 100,000 guests this week, because it continues to rebound from the pandemic.
CES 2021 and was a digital occasion and 2022 attracted solely 44,000 guests to Las Vegas and was a day shorter than regular. Nonetheless, this yr’s full-length present ought to entice greater than double that determine, based on Gary Shapiro, CEO of the Client Know-how Affiliation, talking forward of this yr’s occasion.
Customer numbers will nonetheless be down from pre-pandemic ranges – the 2020 present noticed greater than 170,000 guests descend on Las Vegas – however Shapiro insists the present is bouncing again strongly.
“I believe we’re doing nice,” Shapiro mentioned. “Most occasions are about 60% of the place they had been [pre-pandemic]. We’re effectively above that.”
“In comparison with final yr, we’re about 70% greater [in terms of show footprint],” Shapiro added. “We’re corresponding to the place we had been.”
China journey issues
One cause customer numbers gained’t have totally recovered is due to the continued Covid issues in China. “We’re seeing about one third of the individuals from China that we had been seeing earlier than,” mentioned Shapiro.
Round 500 firms from China are nonetheless anticipated at CES 2023, together with main exhibitors corresponding to Hisense and TCL. Nonetheless, the current journey restrictions imposed by the U.S. authorities on vacationers from China might imply a few of these anticipated exhibitors don’t make it. “Some firms won’t present, given the Covid restrictions,” Shapiro admitted.
Main exhibitors again
The 2023 present will see the return of many main exhibitors within the shopper tech business, together with Microsoft, Google and AMD.
General, round 3,200 exhibitors are anticipated at this yr’s present, which is unfold throughout a number of venues in Las Vegas. Round 1,400 of these firms are from exterior of the U.S., underlining Shapiro’s declare that “CES has turn into a worldwide model.”
