With the global pandemic continuing to disrupt the business world, CES 2021 had little hope of hosting an in-person event. Although the Consumer Technology Association (CTA) was confident they could make it safe early on, the company made the decision to go all-digital in July, a full six months before the event. Fortunately, it appears that, even without all the networking, CES 2021 was a success of epic proportion given the impressive participation numbers across the world. 2,000 different companies — including 700 startups — announced products, services, and general innovations during the five-day event, with more than 100 total hours of programming for the many virtual attendees. The international community was notably involved at CES 2021 as well. According to CTA, attendees tuned in to watch events from 150 different countries. Additionally, 1,300 exhibitors showcased products from outside the US, including 530 international startups. Still, given the success of CES 2021’s digital experiment, it would be safe to assume that the world’s biggest trade show could have an online element for the foreseeable future, even when the pandemic is a distant memory. And according to Shapiro, those assumptions are spot on. CES will certainly not be the only in-person event to add a substantial online element in the future. SXSW hosted similar virtual gatherings to announce movies and TV shows, and even tech companies have leaned into an all-digital announcement platform for new devices. The reality is that accessibility is arguably one of the foundations of the tech industry, and providing these digital avenues towards inclusion is valuable no matter what the status of the global pandemic is. And now that the infrastructure and process is established, these monuments to the “new normal” aren’t going anywhere. Check out our CES 2021 Smartphone Guide for more information Check out our CES 2021 TV Guide for more information Check out our CES 2021 Laptop, Desktop, and Tablet Guide for more information
