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(CNN Business) -
The Consumer Electronics Show (CES), often one of the biggest tech shows of the year, is pushing ahead with plans to host a portion of the event in person this week, despite the threat of the variant. omicron of the coronavirus.
Although the event will return to Las Vegas for the first time since 2020 - marking the first major face-to-face technology conference in the US since the start of the pandemic - it will look different from pre-Covid times.
To begin, attendees will need to wear masks, show proof of vaccination and will have access to self-diagnostic kits.
It will also conclude one day earlier than originally planned.
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The Consumer Technology Association (CTA), which hosts the event, said more than 2,200 engaged exhibitors and more than 3,300 members of the media signed up to attend in person, but several prominent media organizations and companies - such as Microsoft , Google, Amazon, Intel and Meta - formerly known as Facebook - canceled their plans to attend physically in recent weeks. (The event normally attracts about 4,000 exhibitors.) A digital version of the conference will also be held again, following last year's fully virtual CES.
In a recent LinkedIn blog post, CTA President Gary Shapiro said canceling the event this year would hurt thousands of small businesses who invested in building their booths and are counting on CES to help their customers. business.
The CES continues with its plans to hold a face-to-face convention for the first time since 2020, despite the risks of the omicron variant of covid-19.
(Credit: Wu Xiaoling / Xinhua via Getty Images)
"The CES will continue and must continue," he wrote.
"It will have many more small companies than large ones. There may be big gaps in the fairgrounds. It will certainly be different from previous years. It may be messy. But innovation is complicated. It is risky and uncomfortable."
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Despite the problems related to the pandemic, this year's fairgrounds will likely be a spectacle of giant televisions, roaming robots and gadgets that promise to be the future of technology.
Highlights from CES 2022
Means of transport
The auto industry is expected to have a larger presence than ever.
Although General Motors (GM) canceled its plans to attend in person, its CEO, Mary Barra, will deliver the keynote address at the conference and is expected to share more about the company's vision for the mass adoption of electric vehicles.
GM plans to unveil a new all-electric pickup at the show on January 5.
Other means of transportation will also be on display, including electric scooters, electric bicycles and a plane from Sierra Space, which is collaborating with NASA to bring goods to the International Space Station.
Digital health
The digital health space, which accelerated in the last two years, will also be a highlight at CES 2022.
As companies promote new health devices, applications and services, the roundtables will highlight the future of telemedicine and emerging products, such as COVID-19 testing at home via mobile applications.
For the first time, a healthcare provider, Abbott, a medical device company, will give a keynote address.
Regulations and metaverse
In addition, various policy issues facing the tech industry are expected to be discussed, such as the development of effective privacy laws, how to deal with the growing threat of cyberattacks, and the regulation of cryptocurrencies.
The event comes at a time when regulators in the United States and abroad are considering how to curb the big dominant tech companies and how to responsibly manage emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, cryptocurrencies and autonomous vehicles.
The Secretary of Transportation of the United States, Pete Buttigieg;
House Majority Leader James Clyburn;
and Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency Director Jen Easterly attend CES.
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Other areas of interest are food technology;
the NFTs;
virtual and augmented reality and sessions focused on the metaverse, the vision of a 3D version of the internet in which, among other activities, digital avatars can walk and interact with each other in real time.
A great test
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Beyond setting the stage for next year in technology, CES will likely be a great test for the return of major international conventions.
Similar events, such as the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, were recently postponed due to the uncertainty surrounding the omicron variant.
"We are actively following the emerging news and science surrounding the new omicron variant," the CTA said in a statement.
"We will continue to monitor and adjust our health plans and protocols as necessary."
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