Attendees walk through the Las Vegas Convention Center January 10, 2020 on the final day of the 2020 ... [+] Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Robyn Beck / AFP) (Photo by ROBYN BECK/AFP via Getty Images)

Nobody goes there anymore. Its too crowded,said baseball great and master of the malaprop Yogi Berra. It happened to the computer show COMDEX, which went from 211,000 attendees in 2000 to out of business by 2004. Will this be the fate of giant trade shows in the coronavirus era?

Spokespeople for trade shows like the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) describe each show as the biggest and best. While best is subjective, it is clear that tradeshows like 2021 CES, scheduled forJan. 6 through Jan 9, 2021 in Las Vegas will not be the biggest everif they happen at all. The culprit: COVID-19.

Just this past January, CES 2020, billed as the largest tech event in the world, had an estimated attendance of 170,000 with 2.97 million square feet of exhibition space. And while MAD Magazine cartoons comically depicted conventioneers with lampshades on their heads, the money is serious: CES had an estimated economic impact of $283.3 million.

COVID-19 changed everything, but the banner atop the CES website reads, Our next CES in Las Vegas is in January 2021, and we plan to proceed as scheduled.

Yet many questions remain, from the availability of domestic and international airlines to international quarantines and restrictions on travelers. Can the shows hotels, transportation, press conferences, keynotes, parties, and giant convention halls be kept acceptably safe? And will companies let key executives travel in an environment where the pandemic has not been controlled?

In Nevada, gatherings are currently limited to 50 people or less due to COVID-19. How will Las Vegas go from a Strip limited to gatherings of 50 people in July (a key reason shows like now-bankrupt Cirque Du Soleil have not re-opened) to hosting 175,000 in January?

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - MARCH 14: Building wraps for the The Beatles LOVE by Cirque du Soleil show ... [+] are shown on the exterior of The Mirage Hotel & Casino as the coronavirus continues to spread across the United States on March 14, 2020, in Las Vegas, Nevada. Cirque du Soleil announced that it is temporarily suspending all six of its Las Vegas shows beginning tomorrow as well as around the world to help stop the spread of the virus. Several employees at MGM Resorts International, which owns The Mirage, have tested presumptive positive for COVID-19. MGM Resorts International employees who can will start working from home next week. MGM has closed all nightclubs, dayclubs, buffets, spas, gyms and salons at its properties in Las Vegas and on Monday, it will close 150 food and beverage outlets and furloughs and layoffs will begin. The World Health Organization declared the coronavirus (COVID-19) a global pandemic on March 11th. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

Such factors have already led to the cancellation (or postponement) of many major trade shows in favor of going digital. Virtual trade shows sprung up after the 9/11 attacks but petered out as people got back on planes. Todays video technology and bandwidth is much better, as shown by the ubiquity of Zoom, WebEx and Teams virtual meetings. But would an all-online tradeshow satisfy the need to meet, greet, discuss, display, and sell?

At this point we plan to move forward with a live show. We are a not for profit member-based organization, and we are moving ahead because our exhibitors are telling us they want to. says Jean Foster, Senior Vice President of Marketing & Communications for the Consumer Technology Association, producer of CES. Most likely it will be a hybrid show based in Las Vegas and also streamed digitally.

The show will be smaller, says Foster, because not everyone will be able to travel to US. There may be fewer smaller companies at areas like Eureka Park, which normally has 1200 startup companies.

The organization is also working on r-econfiguring the show floor with wider aisles, more spacing between booths, and foot traffic reconfigured to move in single directions. In previous years hundreds would queue up to get into popular press conferences, many of which will now be streamed. The bottom line: to increase physical distance between attendees.

Foster says the CTA is working with the Las Vegas Convention Authority and the casino hotels to mitigate crowding and enhance social distancing in bars, taxi lines, elevators, etc. There will be more shuttle buses, with less people on each, and no open buffet receptions.

There will definitely health screenings according to best practices, and everyone will wear a mask, says Foster. Whether best practices mean a quick temperature check or an actual COVID test is not yet clear, but CTA appears to be hoping for the appearance of a rapid, accurate test.

A person has his temperature screened while checking in at the Bellagio Hotel and Casino in Las ... [+] Vegas, Nevada, U.S., on Thursday, June 4, 2020. All gaming venues in Nevada must follow strict protocols to account for Covid-19, including reduced capacity, more spacing on the casino floor and increased sanitation. Photographer: Joe Buglewicz/Bloomberg

Foster says the show will be smaller, but doesnt have an exact number, Were six months out. Foster admits, There may be a scenario that says we cant do it. But at this point, Based on what were hearing, our key exhibitors are planning to send their people.

If CESshrinksor goes mostly virtual, does it risk losing its relevancy and immediacy? The CES brand is a golden brand, that goes beyond the industry. We expect a large digital audience to come in, says Ms. Foster. I think we will be able to bring more eyeballs than normal foot traffic. We will attract and bring in a broader audience, either physically or digitally.

The IFA show, a consumer electronics event to be held in Berlin from September 3 to September 5, may provide a model for such shows to succeed considering the pandemic.

IFA this year will be a hybrid show, combining physical and virtual attendance and exhibitions. While IFA Berlin 2019 boasted 1800 exhibitors and 250,000 visitors, the IFA2020 Special Edition is limited to 1000 participants per day per event by the health assessment of the State of Berlin.Social distancing, prudent visitor management and thorough hygiene measures are of the utmost importance to us, says Jens Heithecker,IFAExecutive Director.

One of many questions is whether attendees from countries affected by EU barriers due to high coronavirus rates, (like the US, Brazil, Russia, etc.) can get exemptions to attend. Who can guarantee anything in these times, says Heithecker. It is no secret that one of the greatest challenges are the travel restrictions that are still in effect.But we will support our guests wherever possible.

Considering such issues, We have optimized the conditions of participation for theIFASpecial Edition 2020. The participation costs are deliberately reduced to a minimum, Heithecker says. A key part of this years show will be the IFAExtended Space, a virtual space that will allow those who cannot be physically present to participate. How will it work? The concept will be presented shortly stay tuned and curious, says Heithecker.

Meanwhile, vendors are trying to bridge the gap between physical and virtual tradeshow events. ShowStoppers has long been one of the premier press parties at CES, where journalists meet and drink with companies displaying new products. ShowStoppers has also produced the official press event at IFA for a decade and is doing it again for the IFA Special Edition.

Exhibitor Mark Gonnella of Lenovo demonstrates the Lenovo Jedi Challenges at the ShowStoppers ... [+] exhibition on the sidelines of CES 2018 in Las Vegas on January 9, 2018. The smartphone powered augmented reality headset comes with lightsaber and location beacon. / AFP PHOTO / Mandel Ngan (Photo credit should read MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)

ShowStoppers now also has a footprint in the digital world. Partner Steve Leon says ShowStoppers TV is a startup that builds on 25 years of DNA producing in-person events. We connect companies, execs and products/services with journalists looking to discover them. Both audiences are global thats part of our DNA.

Leon says every journalist attending each episode can questionevery exhibitor, both during the presentation and later in breakout rooms. You cant shake hands and meet in person during this pandemic. We can online.

For now, Leon says, ShowStoppers TV is a startup. Were building it, growing it, with the goal of profitability, just like any business. Equally important, we are building a tool that enables companies and journalists to discover each other that will benefit us when we can again produce in-person events.

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Will COVID-19 Kill Giant Trade Shows And Conventions? - Forbes