CES to require proof-of-vaccination at 2022 tech mega-conference

After going entirely virtual this year, the Consumer Electronics Show has said it will hold a physical mega-event in 2022 – and you'll need proof of vaccination against the coronavirus to attend in person.

If you want to enter the exhibition halls from January 7 to see the latest, greatest, and some of the tackiest pieces of personal tech, you'll need evidence, such as a CDC vaccination card, showing that you've had the full jab. CES is also "assessing the acceptance of proof of a positive antibody test," if you don't have a card.

"Based on today’s science, we understand vaccines offer us the best hope for stopping the spread of COVID-19,” said Gary Shapiro, president and CEO of the show's organizers, the Consumer Technology Association, on Tuesday.

“We all play a part in ending the pandemic through encouraging vaccinations and implementing the right safety protocols. We are taking on our responsibility by requiring proof of vaccination to attend CES 2022 in Las Vegas.”

Last July, after some delays, CES finally admitted the game was up and the show would go all virtual for 2021. With the pandemic in full tilt, physical conferences were put on ice, and that freeze may be thawing.

For those who don't want to travel early next year to Las Vegas, right now a COVID-19 hotspot, there'll still be a series of virtual events for CES, as there were this year. Though it's clear the organizers are keen to get back to the good old days where tens of thousands of people wandered around the lucrative expo floors getting some hands-on time with the shiny shiny.

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Based on the experience of this month's Black Hat and DEF CON conferences in Sin City, which also ran hybrid conferences, attendance at CES 2022 is almost certain to be low. DEF CON saw about a fifth of attendees it would usually expect and Black Hat attendees were thin on the ground.

But by January, the situation may have changed somewhat. And Las Vegas' economy is built on a solid foundation of people not understanding odds and feeling lucky. ®