Gary Shapiro has offered an updated statement.
Over 2200 companies are confirmed to participate in person at the show. The focus of the tech industry is to give those who can't attend in person the ability to experience the magic of the show.
Today started with big news from both companies. It seems that the in-person presence of the search engine at the show is over. The company's spokesman tells TechCrunch.
We decided to not have a presence on the show floor of the show. The Omicron variant is the best choice for the health and safety of our teams, because we have been closely monitoring the development. We will continue to work with CTA and our partners to identify and support virtual opportunities, and we look forward to sharing the latest innovations with you all.
Intel is the latest company to back away from an in-person event.
It isn't surprising that the decision to lean into a virtual presence was made by Google. In recent years, the software giant has become a tentpole presence, as it has increasingly expanded its hardware footprint through its Nest line of home products. The Las Vegas Convention Center parking lot has been home to the complex outdoor exhibits from Google for the last several years.
The governing body of the show, the CTA, remains steadfast in its decision to keep the event going in early January. The list of companies staying away from Vegas now includes T-Mobile, AT&T, Meta, Amazon, TikTok andPinterest, along with a number of media outlets.
We reached out to the CTA in light of this latest news, which will be a rough weekend. At the time of the organization's last comment, there were 42 cancelations, amounting to 7% of the exhibit floor. The number has changed since the last report, as both major players and startups are rethinking their presence at the show.
It is difficult to shake off the parallels to the early days of the Pandemic, but no one wants to be the first company to remove itself from an event. The rapid succession of big name losses tends to make way for more.
