After being forced online last year due to the Covid pandemic, CES 2022 is scheduled to return to Las Vegas as an in-person event in January 2022. As with most years, we expect to see a range of new products, from TVs and phones to smart home devices, robots, EVs and much more.
While CES 2022 isn’t going to be as big as those in pre-pandemic years — which saw as many as 170,000 attendees descending on Las Vegas — event organizers say they expect a sizable crowd to return to the show, especially now that Covid vaccinations are required to attend and the U.S. has eased travel restrictions from foreign countries.
However, due to the Omicron variant, in the weeks leading up to CES, a number of companies are switching to a virtual, rather than a physical presence, and the CTA has implemented some additional safety measures for those who are attending. Event organizers have also scrapped the last day of the conference in reaction to Covid concerns.
Here’s everything you need to know about CES 2022, including how to register, health and safety protocols, show dates, and CES 2022 trends we expect to see.
CES 2022 dates and schedule
CES 2022 will be held from January 5-7 in Las Vegas, NV. Media days will be January 3 and 4. The opening CES 2022 keynote address will be on January 5 at 8:30 a.m PST/11:30 a.m. EST.
On January 5th, the CES show floor will be open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. PST. On January 6 and January 7, the show floor will be open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Originally, CES 2022 was to run through January 8, but organizers dropped that day as an additional safety measure in the wake of ongoing coronavirus cases.
ShowStoppers will be in held in person at the Wynn Hotel in Las Vegas on Wednesday, Jan. 5th. As with CES, ShowStoppers will require all in-person attendees, exhibitors and staff to provide proof of COVID-19 vaccination.
Here is a complete schedule of events.
CES 2022 registration
Anyone 18 years or older and affiliated with the consumer technology industry is eligible to register for CES. In order to register, you must show proof of your affiliation. Here’s how to register for CES.
CES 2022 exhibitors
Currently, there are roughly 2,100 exhibitors scheduled to appear at CES. However, because of the Omicron variant, a number of high-profile exhibitors have switched from a physical to a virtual presence.
As of December 29, the companies who have all announced that they will no longer have a physical presence at CES, citing health and safety concerns include: Amazon, AMD, AT&T, Facebook, GM, Google, iHeartRadio, Intel, Lenovo, Microsoft, MSI, OnePlus, Pinterest, Ring, T-Mobile, Twitter, and Waymo.
Hisense said it will still have a physical presence, but has made its keynote virtual, according to the Verge.
In addition, major tech media publications including Tom’s Guide, Tom’s Hardware, The Verge, CNet, Engadget, Gizmodo, and TechRadar, have all announced that they would not send reporters to the event.
Here is a complete CES 2022 exhibitor directory so far.
CES 2022 keynotes and press conferences
Mary Barra, the Chair CEO of GM, is set to deliver the opening keynote address at CES 2022. Other keynote speakers include:
- Pete Buttigieg, U.S. U.S. Secretary of Transportation
- Robert Ford, CEO and president of Abbott, a health technology company
- Stacy Brown-Philpot, Former CEO, Board Director, Advisor of TaskRabbit
- Jenny Abramson, Founder & Managing Partner of Rethink Impact
- Carmichael Roberts, Investment Committee Co-lead, Breakthrough Energy Ventures Founder and Managing Partner, Material Impact
- Jong-Hee (JH) Han, Vice Chairman & CEO, Samsung Electronics
- Tariq Hassan, Chief Marketing and Digital Customer Experience Officer, McDonalds
- Cara Sylvester, Chief Marketing and Digital Officer, Target
Mike Sievert, CEO and president of T-Mobile, was originally scheduled to deliver a keynote address, but will also not be attending the show due to concerns about the Omicron variant.
Here is a complete list of all CES 2022 keynote speakers, which will be updated as we get closer to the show.
Company | Time | Location |
Bosch | 8 – 8:45 am | Mandalay Bay Level 2, Mandalay Bay H |
LG | 8 – 8:45 am | Mandalay Bay Level 3, South Seas AB |
Nvidia | 8 am | Virtual |
Hisense | 9 – 9:45 am | Mandalay Bay Level 2, Mandalay Bay KL |
Magna International | 9 – 9:45 am | Mandalay Bay Level 2, Surf A |
Panasonic | 10 – 10:45 am | Mandalay Bay Level 3, Jasmine Ballroom |
Intel | 10 – 10:45 am | Mandalay Bay Level 2, Mandalay Bay EF |
Qualcomm | 11 – 11:45 am | Mandalay Bay Level 2, Mandalay Bay IJ |
ZF Group | 11. -11:45 am | Mandalay Bay Level 2, Lagoon HI |
John Deere | 12 – 12:45 pm | Mandalay Bay Level 2, Mandalay Bay BC |
Valeo | 12 – 12:45 pm | Mandalay Bay Level 2, Oceanside F |
Canon | 1 – 1:45 pm | Mandalay Bay Level 2, Mandalay Bay D |
OMRON Healthcare | 1 – 1:45 pm | Mandalay Bay Level 2, Reef BC |
Continental AG | 2 – 2:45 pm | Mandalay Bay Level 2, Surf DEF |
Procter & Gamble | 2 – 2:45 pm | Mandalay Bay Level 2, Lagoon JKL |
Hyundai | 3 – 3:45 pm | Mandalay Bay Level 2, Oceanside D |
Doosan Bobcat | 3 – 3:45 pm | Mandalay Bay Level 2, Mandalay Bay A |
VinFast | 4 – 4:45 pm | Mandalay Bay Level 2, Mandalay Bay G |
DailyPay | 4 – 4:45 pm | Mandalay Bay Level 2, Reef DE |
Sony | 5 – 5:45 pm | LVCC LVCC, LVCC #18601 |
Company | Time | Location |
General Motors | 9 – 10 am | Venetian Level 5, Palazzo Ballroom |
T-Mobile | 2 – 3 pm | Venetian Level 5, Palazzo Ballroom |
CES 2022 vaccination and safety protocols
In order to attend CES 2022 in person, you must show proof of Covid-19 vaccination when you pick up your badge. If you do not show proof, a badge will not be issued.
Because of the Omicron variant, all attendees are encouraged to take a COVID test prior to departing for Las Vegas. In addition, CES will distribute one complimentary Abbott BinaxNOW COVID-19 Self Test kit to each attendee upon retrieving their badge.
U.S.-based residents will need to use the CLEAR app to show proof of vaccination. Here’s how to show your Covid vaccination status on your phone. Non-U.S. residents will be required to use a third-party app to show proof of vaccination; full instructions can be found here. CES will accept all vaccines approved by the FDA or WHO.
As per state and local guidelines, masks are currently required in all public, indoor spaces in Las Vegas. This includes exhibit booths, indoor exhibit facilities, conference and keynote rooms, and CES shuttle buses.
In terms of safety protocols, CES will increase the width of the aisles; chairs will be set to allow for social distancing; and hand sanitization stations will be placed throughout CES venues.
CES will also offer testing for those experiencing COVID-19 symptoms while at a CES venue, and will provide free RT-PCR tests for attendees who are traveling back to their international destination and who require a test to travel.
CES 2022: Trends and what we expect
Automotive
The automotive segment of CES 2022 is expected to be larger than ever. As Jean Foster noted in an interview with Tom’s Guide, all of the automakers will be in the new West Hall of CES. As with last year’s show, Mary Barra, GM’s CEO and Chair, will be delivering the opening keynote, and GM plans to unveil the Chevy Silverado E, which has a range of up to 400 miles.
Aside from GM, other carmakers already registered to attend the show include Hyundai, Toyota, Daimler, FCA (Fiat Chrysler), and Stellantis. However, other notable car companies, such as Ford, have yet to register.
TVs
CES is always a big show for TVs, and we don’t envision that changing for this year. In 2019, LG announced its show-stopping rollable TV, then followed that up in 2021 with a rollable phone. (Sadly, the rollable phone is a victim of LG’s decision to exit the phone business.)
Samsung is also good for new TV technology, having debuted its new microLED TVs at least year’s show. But don’t sleep on lesser-known brands: TCL surprised us with an 8K Roku TV in 2021, and we expect a lot more super-high res sets to follow this year — even though there’s nothing to play on them.
Speaking of screens, expect some odd form factors, like LG’s DualUp monitor. or the Virtual Ride immersive fitness bike.
Phones
In recent years, most of the major phone companies — namely Samsung — have saved their big phone launches for events other than CES. Instead, most phone announcements will come a month after CES at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, currently slated to begin on Feb. 28, 2022.
However, following the trend from last year, we won’t be surprised if more companies show off new folding phone concepts at CES, no matter how vapor-warish they might be. Remember the FlexPai?
Furthermore, a leaker has claimed that the OnePlus 10 Pro could be revealed early January at CES.
Food Tech
Impossible Foods has used the past few CESes to introduce its newest plant-based meat alternatives. In 2019, it was the Impossible Foods 2.0 burger, and in 2020, it was its ersatz pork product. The company has recently launched Impossible chicken nuggets, so we’ll be interested to see if it introduces any new meta-meat at CES. But Impossible Foods won’t the the only company in this space; CES announced that Food Tech would have its own category this year.
Smart Home
Spurred on in part by the pandemic, hands-free devices were one of the big themes among smart home devices at CES 2021, and we expect that trend to continue this year. Touchless refrigerators, faucets, toilets, and video doorbells will be among the devices we should see plenty more of in 2022.
Digital Health
Like smart home, we expect to see lots of Covid-related health tech at CES 2022. There were a handful of high-tech masks at CES 2021; plan to see a lot more of these, as well as other disinfecting tech, air purifiers, and other ways of mitigating the spread of infectious diseases. Notably, Robert Ford, the CEO and president of Abbott, will also be delivering a keynote at CES — the first for a health tech company.
Space Technology
This might be more of a curiosity this year, but for the first time, CES will have a dedicated area for space technology. As Jean Foster noted in her interview with Tom’s Guide, Sierra Nevada will be showing off its space plane, which is contracted to start flying cargo missions with NASA in 2022.