Are you doing your events differently than you did before the COVID-19 pandemic? At the Consumer Technology Association, we are. Here’s how we adapted CES to meet the challenges of the pandemic, and what I hope it means for the future of events.
COVID-19 wasn’t the first airborne virus to hit the trade show circuit. Previous CES shows, held in January, took place in the middle of major flu seasons. While we had hand sanitizer and healthcare professionals on hand, we didn’t pay much time or attention to flu transmission. Those pre-pandemic shows were from a different era of risk management.
Just a few weeks after CES 2020, my wife, Dr. Susan Malinowski, shared a radio story about an entire city in China being quarantined. Although the story was brief, she told me that this new virus was going to infect the entire world. At a CTA Investment Committee meeting the following week, she told our board members that they were “in the Kubler Ross phase of denial” and that the virus would turn out to be more than just a supply chain issue in China. Before it was even known as COVID-19, she explained that the virus would be the biggest event of our lifetimes, with the potential to cause economic turmoil and social unrest. She was right.
In early March, our board concluded that it made sense to cancel all physical events for the remainder of 2020. We also planned a two-pronged approach for CES 2021: an all-digital event if we cancel CES 2021 and the physical event if we can move forward. To the dismay of some of my show colleagues, we announced the shift to our first all-digital show seven months before the event to give our exhibitors and others maximum time to adjust. Planning for CES 2021 taught us the first big lesson of the COVID era: plan for high-level scenarios, figure out who you trust, and act quickly and decisively.
We also learned that the virus itself wasn’t our only risk. In the spring of 2021, a major U.S. broadcaster published a story insinuating that CES was the superspreader event that introduced COVID-19 to the United States. The story was ignored by several media companies because it focused on the narrative of a single CES attendee, but once published, it was picked up by dozens of outlets. I was horrified by the claim. No cases of COVID-19 were reported in the U.S. until late January, and no cases were reported in Las Vegas until March. While the editor eventually agreed to edit parts of the article and add context from reputable medical experts, the damage had been done to our reputation. Even as a seasoned trade show veteran, the incident both scarred and frightened me. As Warren Buffett once said, “It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it.” This is especially true in our headline-driven, clickbait-driven environment.
This reality was at the forefront of our minds as we planned for CES 2022 in person. We sought input from many sources on how to reduce the spread of airborne infections, including volunteer physicians and an external event medical consultant. Based on their input, we required all attendees to be vaccinated against COVID and wear masks. We widened many aisles, created one-way lanes in crowded areas, and offered Abbott BinaxNOW COVID tests to all attendees. We also created protocols to safely manage those who tested positive onsite.
Everything seemed fine until it wasn’t. Around Thanksgiving 2021, the Omicron variant began spreading around the world, prompting some major exhibitors to cancel or scale back their presence in the last few weeks of December. The press saw the story and amplified it, prompting us to cancel our physical event. We weighed the pros and cons and decided to hold CES, albeit one day shorter. What convinced us to stay the course was the recognition that many companies, especially startups and small tech companies, rely heavily on CES for a large portion of their annual business. I was also moved by discussions at our board level as well as private comments from the CEOs of a few Fortune 500 companies who urged us to move forward as a matter of principle. The nation needed leadership in learning to live with COVID.
The difficult decision to continue the event proved to be the right decision, by almost all accounts. Although the show was smaller—drawing about 44,000 attendees and only 1.27 million net square feet of exhibit space—exhibitors and attendees alike were grateful and happy. Additionally, many of the small business attendees told us that CES was a great opportunity for them to gain attention and connect with buyers and media. We also found success through the principled leadership position we took with the U.S. Travel Association, which hailed CES as “a model of how business events can take place.
At CES 2023, we built on this success and focused on reducing communicable diseases overall. We consciously opted for a touchless environment, complemented by increased circulation of outside air. Recognizing a gradual return to “normal” modes of in-person meetings, we strongly recommended, but did not require, vaccinations, including the flu vaccine. Working directly with LVCVA Director Steve Hill and other facility leaders, we kept many facility doors and even some loading dock doors open to reduce the health risks to our attendees. We hired 80 greeters to help greet and open doors for arriving attendees. As a major trade show organizer, I felt it was critical to take steps not only to combat COVID-19, but also to reduce the risk of transmission of any airborne or touch-borne illness. Health considerations must take precedence over building aesthetics and energy efficiency.
I think CES 2023 was the healthiest show in history. We had remarkably few positive cases and almost no social media chatter about illness. Additionally, we surveyed our attendees and found that less than 10% reported any type of illness in Las Vegas or within three days of returning. This is particularly astonishing given the scale of the show: nearly 120,000 attendees and over 3,200 exhibitors. Hallelujah!
Attending any event carries health risks. As event organizers, we can mitigate these risks by adopting a contactless environment and taking reasonable steps to understand the health environment. At the same time, we can and should celebrate the impact of these events, recognizing their importance as moments where people can connect, collaborate, and find moments of serendipity. I hope you’ll join me in doing both!
Contact Gary Shapiro at (703) 907-7600 or gshapiro@cta.tech