Omicron continues to claim more victims including Swedish House Mafia, where they were set to play iHeartRadio at AREA15 in Vegas. Currently, the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) had multiple large exhibitors pull out of the event due to Omicron variant fears. But the show is going to continue with a smaller, scaled-back hybrid version.
It hasn’t been easy for SHM to play, and we know everyone has been waiting. However, organizers of iHeartRadio want to keep friends and partners safe during this unpredictable time. Jamie Kaplan, senior director of CES communications issued the following statement:
“We’re not canceling. We have 2,200 companies who want to have the show. So we are having the show. It’s important to remember that while there are large companies at CES, there are also medium and small companies that really rely on CES to do their business.”
The cancellations only make up about 10% of the show floor. See the list below for the companies that canceled.
CES is the most influential tech event in the world, where the world’s biggest brands meet and showcase their ideas. Exhibitors include manufacturers, developers and suppliers of consumer technology hardware, content, and more. Anything you know or do with technology, it’s likely there so this would have been a great event. Now, the physical part will run from January 5th-8th, with a preshow on January 3rd. A digital component will be available for those that cannot attend in person. Last year’s attendance drew in 171,268 people and 4,419 exhibitors with the 2022 show being about 40,000-60,000 physical with half of the exhibitors. With international travel restrictions, COVID vaccine regulations, and supply chain issues with chip shortages and shipping delays, it’s an all-around difficult time.
Hopefully, the show still continues to aid businesses in their future endeavors. COVID will continue to be the talk of the town until it reaches epidemic status.
