The Consumer Electronic Show is so well known that it is referred to only by its acronym: CES. And “Electronics,” as you soon will see, has been – literally – CES’s middle name.
For the 55th year, beginning Jan. 5, 2022 in Las Vegas, the show will display and introduce a wide array of electronic products designed to make the lives of consumers worldwide better and easier.
In the 1970s, VCRs demonstrated their ability to record television programs. Pong, the electronic answer to table tennis, entered homes in the form of game consoles that same decade.
In the 1980s, it was cordless phones and compact disc players, followed by high-def televisions and internet services in the 1990s. By the 2000s, CES was awash in cell phones.
Over the decades, electronics dominated: c-Electronics-s.
Come forward to 2017. USA Today’s panel of automotive-industry experts picked 20 car shows in the United States. Then readers picked the Top Ten. CES came in eighth.
“I went to CES and suddenly a car show broke out,” the late Jim Berry, longtime CES spokesman, said several years ago as we walked the floor of a CES convention hall that looked more like a dealership lobby.
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In past CES conventions, cars were there (if at all) to show off the auto speakers, stereos, and the odd built-in GPS directional device. Now, the cars are there on their own.
The 2022 edition of CES will open with Mary Barra, the CEO of General Motors, delivering the opening keynote address. “She will show how technology and the all-electric era will create opportunities for mobility experiences to serve the planet and the people,” said a CES spokesperson.
“CES is the global stage for brands to showcase their commitment to driving change,” said Gary Shapiro, president and CEO of the Consumer Technology Association, the producer of CES. “Mary Barra disrupted an industry at an inflection point by showing the potential of an all-electric future.”
Shapiro said the automotive sector is “tracking for record growth” at the 2022 show, and more than 175 transportation and vehicle companies have committed to the show – a 12% increase from the last in-person show in 2020.
The show is open only to technology-association members and those who cover the electronics industry. Even so, attendance at the 2020 show exceeded 170,000 over a four-day period.
When the show opens in about four months, there will be one other attendance requirement: Proof of COVID-19 vaccination.
“Based on today’s science, we understand vaccines offer us the best hope for stopping the spread of COVID-19,” Shapiro said. “We all play a part in ending the pandemic through encouraging vaccinations and implementing the right safety protocols. We are taking on our responsibility by requiring proof of vaccination to attend CES 2022 in Las Vegas.”
Lonnie Brown can be reached at LedgerDatabase@aol.com.
