I wish I were going to CES 2022 in Las Vegas, just to see how it turns out

With so many large tech companies pulling out of the in-person CES 2022 conference because of the Covid pandemic, I had no choice but to cancel my trip to the show. After all, I cover publicly traded consumer technology companies for Investor’s Business Daily.
Still, I wish I were going to Las Vegas next week just to see how the physical CES 2022 show turns out. Because right now, the main halls of the convention centers look like they’ll be pretty empty.
Some tech press are predicting a train wreck of an event. And as someone who went to the poorly attended last Comdex show in Las Vegas in 2003, I’d be a good person to make a judgment on that.

CES pullouts make the press look cowardly

Most large tech media organizations have said they will not attend the in-person CES 2022 and plan on covering the show remotely. They include CNET, Engadget, the Verge, TechCrunch, IGN and TechRadar.
I think that’s a mistake. As some pundits have noted, journalists have covered wars and natural disasters but here they won’t cover a tech conference that has health and safety protocols to prevent the spread of Covid. That’s not a good look for the Fourth Estate.
Without boots on the ground in Las Vegas, they won’t be in a position to assess for themselves how the in-person show went.

CES 2022 could be a boon for startups, small firms

Many hundreds of companies are still exhibiting at CES 2022 despite concerns about the more-contagious omicron strain of Covid-19. These are mostly smaller companies looking to drum up business and get media exposure. Show organizers say over 2,200 companies are confirmed to exhibit in person at CES 2022.
What tech media do show up to CES 2022 will have no shortage of interesting companies and products to write about, especially at Eureka Park, home to numerous startups.
At a typical CES, big, well-known companies tend to suck up all the oxygen. They get the lion’s share of media coverage at the annual show. At next week’s physical show, they won’t be a distraction for journalists who will now be able to focus on the little guys.

Digital is a poor substitute for in-person coverage

Tech media outlets say they’ll be able to provide complete coverage of CES 2022 remotely. But that’s a lie or they’re fooling themselves.
Judging from last year’s all-digital CES 2021 and preparations for the upcoming show, the online presentations will cover only a fraction of CES 2022.
The Consumer Technology Association, the show’s producer, says the digital aspect of CES 2022 will carry more than 40 livestreamed conference sessions, keynotes, and press conferences. But a number of those likely will be prerecorded corporate presentations for Media Day, which is held the day before the show officially opens on Jan. 5. Many conference sessions will be available only for on-site attendees.
And you can’t walk the expo show floor and discover new and exciting products sitting in front of a PC screen in your home office.

Photo: Moen Inc. demonstrates smart home products at CES 2020 in January 2020. (Consumer Technology Association)