CES gadget show turnout falls more than 75% thanks to COVID

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Attendance at this week’s CES gadget show in Las Vegas fell more than 75% compared to its previous in-person event two years ago, according to the event’s organizer. The Consumer Technology Association said Friday that more than 40,000 people attended the multi-day event, compared to more than 170,000 for the last in-person CES two years ago. The COVID-19 pandemic led the CTA to take 2021′s conference online, but the trade group decided eight months ago to bring the in-person convention back to Vegas. That proved challenging amid a global spike in infections caused by the fast-moving omicron coronavirus variant.