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The Consumer Electronics Show in previous years attracted more than 150,000 industry professionals to La Vegas, but this year’s event will be online only as a result of the global pandemic.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) – The Consumer Electronics Show, known for crowds, sensory overload and deal negotiating, draws on technology it has long touted to spice up its first virtual event, which begins Monday.
The deadly pandemic that has derailed face-to-face conferences around the world for the past year forced the Consumer Technology Association to do the same with an online version of the annual meeting in Las Vegas.
“CES is one of the most experiential events in the world, where attendees can see and touch and experience the latest innovations,” CTA spokesperson Jean Foster said during a pre-show briefing.
“And while we can’t recreate that magic that happens in Las Vegas, we can provide our audience with a whole new and unique digital experience.”
Show organizers worked with Microsoft to create an online platform and help exhibitors create video presentations, digital press kits, and chat forums to interact with attendees.
“We really built around the concept that people can interact with each other,” said Foster, noting that Microsoft Teams video conferencing software was a strong component of the platform.
– ‘Streaming experience’ –
The digital version of CES will be a “true broadcast experience,” the centerpiece of which will be an online “docking desk” staffed by veterans of social media and tech news.
The presenter’s desk will stream interviews, announcements, analysis and keynote presentations, plus recap daily events and preview what’s to come, according to Foster.
More than 100 hours of CES programming is planned, with many subtitled presentations in more than a dozen languages.
Digital CES relies on artificial intelligence to match the interests stated in attendee profiles with those of exhibitors, hoping to put a software spin on the chance of stumbling upon great products at exhibitions.
The software will recommend people or exhibitors to connect with and provide tools for online meetings or chats.
– A quiet day with the media? –
A media day typically packed with press conferences in Las Vegas ballrooms will be replaced by video presentations from companies, the list of which includes Hisense, LG, Samsung and Sony.
Freed from the Las Vegas time zone, CES press conferences will begin early in the morning, New York time, and will continue into the evening.
Keynote presentations to press conferences will be shorter than real-life CES events to account for limited attention span and allow time to answer questions.
CES has more than 300 speakers lined up and an increased focus on sessions that dive into topics like privacy and the 5G internet.
The sessions will be available immediately for playback on demand and will remain accessible until mid-February, according to CES organizers.
When the virtual show floor opens on Tuesday, attendees will be able to click through to the online exhibition booths for demonstrations and talks.
“Many companies are putting a lot of energy into creating a great online experience,” Robin Murdoch, Accenture’s global leader in software and platforms, told AFP.
“One thing we have learned is that we are all willing to try new things digitally.”
– Returning to Las Vegas –
Building the digital platform was a major investment “in the seven figures,” according to CTA president Gary Shapiro.
The standard solutions did not meet CES needs when it came to “serendipity, discovery, connection and the joy of learning,” Shapiro said during the briefing.
“We obviously can’t recreate some of the things in Las Vegas like the game and the atmosphere and the five-way human contact face to face,” he said.
Organizers rejected the idea of avatars of attendees roaming a virtual world of CES.
Despite the investment, Shapiro hoped the digital CES would be a learning experience, the lessons of which would be used to enhance a “hybrid” event next year with a physical gathering in Las Vegas.
“We love the technology and what it does,” Shapiro said.
“But actually, it’s not the same as being face to face.”
