International CES 2022 Show Highlights
Over the last couple of years, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has affected a variety of industries, including the trade show and exhibiting industry. After two years of shutdowns and virtual events, some are venturing back out into the world of in-person exhibitions. One such example of an in-person event is the International Consumer Electronics Show (2022 CES Show) which recently took place in Las Vegas, Nevada. This is one of the biggest events of the year for those in the technology, automotive, and computing industries. It is owned and produced by the Consumer Technology Association (or CTA) and celebrates every aspect of the tech sector.
The fact that it was able to take place this year is certainly noteworthy. Those who weren’t able to attend the 2022 CES show in person may be feeling a bit left out, though. If this is the case for you, the following are some of the top highlights from the event:
ATTENDEES
The 2022 CES show hosted approximately 40,000 visitors and 2,300 exhibitors. About 30 percent of the attendees came from international locales (190 different countries), too. Plenty of big-name companies chose to attend the event in person as featured exhibitors, including the following:
- Abbott
- LG
- Verizon
- Sony
- Roku
- John Deere
Many other businesses also attended, including GAF Energy, which unveiled a new solar roof shingle. In an interview with CNN, GAF’s president Martin DeBono described the 2022 event as “surreal” and “bizarre” due to the lack of crowds. DeBono added, though, that he doesn’t fear for the future of CES. He thinks that in the coming years, CES will become less of an event for “hordes of people” who just want to see TVs and other cool gadgets. Instead, it will become a more exclusive gathering for those interested in new innovations. He explained that “CES will persist” and attendees will see an increase in the “proportion of true innovation to just iteration.”
Richard Browning, the chief marketing and sales officer for Nextbase, also told CNN that this year’s CES event provided more opportunities for small businesses to make a splash. He explained that, in previous years, the show has been “dominated” by big tech companies, which makes it harder for smaller companies to get media attention. This year, though, Nextbase and its new product, a smart dash camera, got more press and attention because a lot of major brands weren’t present.
AWARDS
Every year, CES recognizes certain attendees as part of the annual CES Innovation Awards program. This competition celebrates outstanding design and engineering in a wide range of consumer technology products.
There are two categories of CES Innovation Awards:
- Honoree: Top-scoring products in each of the show’s categories
- Best of Innovation: The highest-rated products across all of the show’s categories
In 2022, several companies and their inventions received Honoree and Best of Innovation awards, including the following:
- Abbott: BinaxNOW COVID-19 Self Test and NAVICA App (Honoree)
- BeFC: BeFC Sustainable Active Sensor Tag (Honoree)
- GAF Energy: Timberline Solar Energy Shingle (Best of Innovation)
- HP Inc.: HP 11 Tablet PC (Honoree)
- Intel Corporation: Thunderbolt 4 – Truly Universal Cable Connectivity (Best of Innovation)
- LG Electronics Inc.: 32 UHD UltraFine Display Ergo AI (Best of Innovation)
- Nikon Inc.: Nikon Z fc (Honoree)
- Petnow Inc.: Petnow-The Nose Print Identification App for Dogs (Best of Innovation)
- SberDevices: Smart Badge (Honoree)
- Sony Electronics Inc.: Sony BRAVIA CAM for TV (Best of Innovation)
- Zuvi: Zuvi Halo Hair Dryer (Honoree)
A full list of Honorees and Best of Innovation winners can be found here via the CES website.
LIVE STREAMS AND DIGITAL SHOWINGS
Although many businesses opted out of the in-person arm of the CES event, they still hosted presentations virtually. A full collection of live streams from this year’s show can be found on the CNET Highlights Channel on YouTube. The following are some of the most noteworthy companies with featured streams and press conferences on the channel:
- AMD
- TCL
- Hisense
- Intel
- Qualcomm
- Hyundai
- Samsung
- Asus
- GM
- Razer
SAFETY MEASURES
The folks in charge of CES did receive some criticism leading up to the big day for hosting the face-to-face event (although they did offer a digital option for those who didn’t want to attend in person). However, the showrunners have emphasized that they took extreme precautions to ensure the event was safe. The list of safety measures included vaccination requirements, mask requirements, on-site testing, and strict social distancing protocols. The event also had lower attendance than in the past (roughly 40,000 people attended this year, compared to 180,000 who attended in 2019). This made it easier to enforce such rules and keep everyone protected.
PLANS FOR THE FUTURE
CES 2022 may have just wrapped. However, plans for CES 2023 are already starting to take shape. At this point, the event is scheduled for January 5-8 of next year at the Las Vegas Convention Center in Las Vegas. If all goes according to plan, the 2023 event will be held face-to-face just like this year’s gathering was. Many of the businesses that opted out of the 2022 show have said that they plan on attending in 2023, including T-Mobile and Twitter.
Here are some great Skyline clients at the show!
By: Skyline Exhibits –
