Photo by Diane Taylor
The CES show returned to Las Vegas last week amid a big welcome. The show had taken a year off in 2021 and returned this year, hosting the event in eleven official venues in Las Vegas. The show welcomed an estimated 40,000 attendees. That attendance, however, was 75 percent less than attendance two years ago. In consideration of lower attendance in the midst of Covid, the show was one day shorter than usual, running just three days, Jan. 5,6, and 7.
I chose to visit one of the larger CES locations where for me parking is convenient and free: The Venetian Expo. The Venetian featured products under the categories of lifestyle, smart home, 3D printing, sports tech, food tech and accessories.
I “thought” I might have registered in advance for CES because I received daily emails from the show. However, I had not officially registered, so it took a while before finally receiving a badge. Masks were important at this show so everyone’s first stop was an area where one showed Covid vaccine information and was given a special “approved” card to carry forward to the next desk. Also, attendees were warned that in accepting a badge for this show, the attendee understood that becoming infected with Covid was a possibility, but agreed to hold harmless the Consumer Technology Association, its employees or the convention facilities. Wow. With my badge, I was also given a “BinaxNOW” box containing two Covid 19 antigen self-tests. It was “suggested” that I take one test one right as I enter the show floor. After the hassle of getting a badge, I did not want to exclude myself from the show with a positive test and no symptoms.
I brought the box home…perhaps for future use.
Photo by Diane Taylor
The Venetian Expo had plenty of booths, but many empty spaces as well. Yes, a number of exhibitors stayed home this year, but I still met a number of very nice and knowledgeable people.
My two-hour tour of The Venetian Expo did not mean I visited the entire exhibit area. My visit was just a “taste” of CES. When I conducted interviews I slid down my mask, but the folks who manned the booths were quite afraid to not wear their masks so they talked through them.
I will be glad when convention masks are a thing of the past.
My video is attached. A few interesting new products are featured. Hope you enjoy.
Thank you for the great tour! So many new electronic devices, programs, services, etc… Your interviews are always interesting. I need to stop at Rachael’s Kitchen in Henderson next time I’m out there to see if the serving robot is still there.