CES 2021 organizers pressing ahead with in-person conference

As 2020 progresses, more and more planned gatherings of people for entertainment, sports and business are being canceled because of the Covid-19 pandemic. The most recent cancellations are for events that had been scheduled for this fall, when a second wave of the coronavirus is forecast.

• On May 26, video game publisher Blizzard Entertainment canceled this year’s BlizzCon fan show, which usually takes place every year at the beginning of November.
• On May 29, organizers of the CEDIA Expo home electronics conference canceled this year’s show which had been set for Sept. 8-12 in Denver.
• On June 4, organizers of Milwaukee’s Summerfest, the largest music festival in the U.S., canceled this year’s event, which had been rescheduled to September from late June and early July.
• On June 12, TAITRA, the Taiwan organization that oversees the Computex Taipei tech show, canceled this year’s show, which had been scheduled for Sept. 28-30.
• On June 15, Disney-owned Lucasfilm canceled the 2020 Star Wars Celebration convention slated for Aug. 27-30 in Anaheim, Calif.
• That same day, the GSM Association canceled its MWC Los Angeles 2020 wireless industry event, which had been scheduled for October 28-30.

CNet has a comprehensive list of the events that have been affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.
So far, the Consumer Technology Association is sticking with its plans to hold CES 2021 in Las Vegas. The 2020 consumer electronics show attracted over 175,000 attendees from more than 160 countries.
On June 15, Karen Chupka, executive vice president for CES at the Consumer Technology Association, posted an update on CES 2021 planning.
As of now, CES 2021 is still planned as an in-person event running Jan. 6-9. The physical event will be augmented by an enhanced online presence.
“In January, we plan to convene the technology industry, both physically in Las Vegas and digitally online,” Chupka said. “Though we do expect the show to be smaller, many of the world's leading tech brands are confirmed to showcase the latest technologies, and we will be announcing soon the tech luminaries who will speak on our CES stages.”
CES 2021 will feature new health and safety protocols. They will include new sanitization and social distancing measures.
CES 2021 also will cover the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. That will include discussions about tech for battling pandemics and digital health initiatives like telemedicine, she said.

See also:

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