I have attended every CES conference in Las Vegas since 2000 and was disappointed when the coronavirus pandemic turned CES 2021 into an online-only show. I understand the reasoning for the change but was still saddened by the news.
CES, still known as the Consumer Electronics Show to many, is a massive spectacle.
From the giant exhibit halls full of exciting technology and devices to the promotional stunts of companies trying to make a splash, it must be experienced firsthand.
Beyond the expo floor, there are keynote speeches by major industry figures, panel discussions about trends, and private parties galore, all taking place in the crazy city of Las Vegas.
Shrinking all that down to a computer screen is bound to disappoint.
I can’t speak to the impact on the business-to-business nature of the show, but I can address it from my perspective as a journalist.
Based on what I’ve seen from covering some online conferences and corporate press events these last few months, I have some opinions about what CES 2021 needs from a news perspective.
First, as the premier technology-focused event, CES 2021 needs to be best-in-class in terms of its online format. That means the best video and audio production and streaming, the best website organization, the best scheduling tools and more. Based on the CES website from past shows, I’m not confident they can pull this off.
Second, CES 2021 needs to consider that people aren’t going to sit at their desks all day. After all, the same pandemic that brought Zoom teleconferencing to prominence also led to the term “Zoom fatigue.”
When I’m covering CES in person, it gets my undivided attention for a week. I don’t get much sleep during the show because there is so much going on. That won’t be the case with a virtual show. Stuck in my office, I’ll have other demands for my time and attention, not just CES-related stuff. So, CES 2021 should be a more focused show.
The CES 2021 keynote presentations should learn from Apple’s recent online events. Apple’s WWDC keynote and fall product launch event used slick, cinematic videos. Those videos were both entertaining and informative. They were available to watch at a scheduled time for news value and then available for on-demand viewing.
I would envision the back-to-back press conferences of CES 2021 media day to be just like that as well. High-quality prerecorded videos trump the novelty of being live. Again, on-demand playback is critical in case viewers have scheduling conflicts.
Interviews with newsmakers as well as panel discussions on major trends and issues should be live, however. Plus, I’d love to see a real-time feedback mechanism so you can read what other viewers think during the video presentations, even if it’s just funny asides in a Twitch-style chat format. Once again, these live videos should be available later for on-demand playback.
Companies should have the ability to do live presentations of their products from the virtual expo floor. These should be scheduled throughout the conference. This is especially important for companies that don’t get slotted for media day.
The first test of what CES organizers are capable of will come on Oct. 15 when the Consumer Technology Association holds its CES Unveiled conference. It canceled two in-person events in Europe for one all-digital event. The in-person events had been scheduled for Oct. 7 in Paris and Oct. 15-16 in Amsterdam.
CES 2021 is scheduled for Monday Jan. 11 through Thursday Jan. 14. Keynote speakers already announced include AMD Chief Executive Lisa Su and Verizon Chief Executive Hans Vestberg. Both have delivered keynotes at in-person CES shows.
Related reading:
Freed of CES, It’s Time to Get the Consumer Back Into Consumer Electronics (Ray Hartjen; Sept. 16, 2020)
What Will A Virtual CES Look Like? (TWICE; Aug. 30, 2020)
What will a virtual CES 2021 be like? (Tech-media-tainment; Aug. 1, 2020)
Giant 2021 Consumer Electronics Show In Las Vegas Cancelled By Covid-19, To Go All-Digital (Forbes; July 29, 2020)
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