All-digital CES 2021: Litmus test for the virtual trade shows

The Consumer Technology Association (CTA) is leaving no stone unturned in creating a new immersive experience of all-digital CES 2021 for the attendees. CES 2021 kicks off January 11–14, 2021. This week, CTA announced keynote speakers, Innovation Award honorees, and conference program updates. More than 1000 exhibitors from around the world will showcase their products and innovation in artificial intelligence, 5G, digital health, smart cities, vehicle tech and more. A preview of CES 2021 digital venue, an online platform created with technology partner Microsoft, is also available now. The platform will help the attendees customize their experience, join live sessions and events, connect with the exhibitors and other attendees, etc.

CTA has announced the CES 2021 Innovation Awards honorees. The CES Innovation Awards is an annual competition honoring outstanding design and engineering in consumer technology products across 28 product categories. The full list of Best of Innovation and all honorees will be revealed during CES 2021, on January 11, 2021. Registration is now open.

Keynotes and conference sessions

CTA announced that Best Buy CEO, Corie Barry will be joining the keynote line-up for a conversation with Fortune CEO, Alan Murray. Barry will discuss her vision for the future of tech, leading through the pandemic and why diversity and inclusion are good for business.

In addition to the keynote program, CES 2021 will offer over 100 conference sessions. CTA also announced the conference session “Privacy and Trust with Amazon, Google and Twitter”:

Keith Enright, Chief Privacy Officer, Google

Damien Kieran, Chief Privacy Officer, Twitter

Anne Toth, Director, Alexa Trust, Amazon Alexa

Live anchors

To help navigate the show, CTA announced a live anchor desk will be part of CES 2021—featuring familiar faces from the tech media world. This “central command” will help attendees navigate the digital experience, hear the latest news and view interviews on critical tech topics. Featured anchors:

Justine Ezarik (iJustine)—Host + Tech Content Creator

Rich DeMuro—Tech reporter for KTLA-TV Channel 5 in Los Angeles

Naomi Kyle—Actress, Producer and host of Star Trek’s The Ready Room on CBS

Brian Tong—Tech Host & Content Creator

“CES 2021 will be a collaborative experience, encouraging connections between audiences and exhibitors from around the world,” said Karen Chupka, EVP, CES, CTA. “We threw out the playbook and decided to not just recreate CES online—but to reimagine it. The digital transformation of our industry has given us the opportunity to reach an even larger, global audience and create new experiences for this year and beyond.”

Exhibitors for CES 2021 include tech giants such as Canon, Hisense, Intel, Lenovo, LG Electronics, Panasonic, Philips, Sony, Samsung Electronics, TCL and Voxx, as well as non-traditional tech companies including Bridgestone, Caterpillar, Indy Autonomous Challenge, John Deere, L’Oréal and Procter & Gamble.

Source： Ruchika Saini/ CES2021