Coronavirus

World's Largest Tech Show Will Be Entirely Digital Due To Pandemic

The conference usually draws around 175,000 people to Las Vegas.

World's Largest Tech Show Will Be Entirely Digital Due To Pandemic
John Locher / AP
SMS

The world's largest tech show will officially be an all-digital experience due to COVID-19 concerns.

The Consumer Technology Association says it will use technology to bring the Consumer Electronics Show, or CES, to people in a different way. 

CES is typically held in Las Vegas. It brings tech industry giants and startups from all over to share developments and launch products. It usually hosts more than 175,000 attendees, and up until recently, the January conference was scheduled to be an in-person experience.

But Association CEO Gary Shapiro said Tuesday, "By shifting to an all-digital platform for 2021, we can deliver a unique experience that helps our exhibitors connect with existing and new audiences."

All year, conferences and festivals, such as SXSW have been canceled or moved online because of the pandemic.

The CTA didn't go into detail on whether it would issue refunds but said attendees should be on the lookout for more details on the conference's format.

According to Johns Hopkins University, as of Tuesday, there were more than 4.3 million reported COVID-19 infections in the U.S. The county where Las Vegas is located had over 37,000 confirmed cases.