CES 2021 considering Covid-19 screenings for attendees

The organizers of CES 2021 are surveying past attendees of the massive consumer electronics show to gauge their feelings about attending next year’s show amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
For now, the Consumer Technology Association is sticking with its plans to hold an in-person CES 2021 show in Las Vegas Jan. 6-9. It expects next year’s show to be smaller than usual and to have a major online component for those who don’t attend physically.
The online survey first asks respondents how likely they are to attend CES 2021.
It then asks them whether their business travel is being restricted by company policy and when they expect those restrictions to be lifted.
The poll asks potential attendees when they expect to make up their minds about going to CES 2021.
One question gets right to the point: “How concerned, if at all, are you about attending CES 2021 in Las Vegas due to the coronavirus pandemic?” It gives five possible answers ranging from “Not at all concerned” to “Extremely concerned.”
The remaining questions pertain to what steps CES organizers could take to lessen the concerns of attendees regarding the coronavirus.
About venues and logistics, the survey asks respondents what they think about limiting the number of attendees, reducing the capacity of conference rooms and press events, and using thermal imaging cameras at various checkpoints.
Other options include wider aisles at exhibit halls to promote social distancing, plentiful hand sanitizer stations and increased cleaning, and limited touch points at convention facilities.
As for on-site policies, the CES poll asks respondents for their opinions on requiring face masks, restricting use of business cards and distribution of giveaways, having a no-handshakes policy, and deploying contact-tracing measures.
The survey also addresses Covid-19 testing of attendees before, during and after the show.
In one question, the survey asks respondents whether they are “comfortable” or “not comfortable” with certain measures to provide proof that they are free of Covid-19.
Those measures are:

• Paying and taking a rapid Covid-19 test requiring a saliva swab and testing for sense of smell
• Participating in a health screening prior to entering CES each day
• Being tested for Covid-19 within 72 hours of attending CES 2021 in Las Vegas
• Taking a 10-minute antibody test for Covid-19 antibodies (this would require a drop of blood)

Another question addresses which pre-CES screenings would lessen the concerns of potential attendees. Respondents are asked to say if the options are “must have,” “nice to have” or “do not need to have.”
Those options are:

• Require proof of a negative Covid-19 test before entry to the show
• Require proof of Covid-19 vaccination, should one be made publicly available
• Require a health screening of all participants before they enter CES 2021 convention and meeting facilities

The Consumer Technology Association has a lot to figure out before CES 2021 can take place.

Previous articles on CES 2021:

CES 2021 organizers pressing ahead with in-person conference (June 17, 2020)

CES 2021: Will it happen? And if so, how different will it be? (May 23, 2020)

Photos: Screenshots of CES 2021 poll by the Consumer Technology Association.