The Consumer Technology Association (CTA) recently made major CES 2021 announcements including keynote speakers, Innovation Award honorees, and conference program updates. In addition, a preview was shared of what audiences can experience on the digital venue. CES 2021 kicks off January 11-14, 2021.
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“CES 2021 will be making history, with our first all-digital show,” said Gary Shapiro, president and CEO, CTA. “This new experience will feature more than 1,000 exhibitors from around the world, showcasing the latest trends and innovation in artificial intelligence, 5G, digital health, smart cities, vehicle tech, and beyond. Technology will move us forward and CES 2021 will illustrate how innovation paves the way for a brighter tomorrow.”
Keynotes and Conference Sessions
CTA announced that Best Buy CEO Corie Barry will be joining the keynote lineup for a conversation with Fortune CEO Alan Murray. Barry will discuss her vision for the future of tech, leading through the pandemic and why diversity and inclusion is good for business.
Barry joins other confirmed CES keynote speakers, including Verizon’s Hans Vestberg, General Motors’ Mary Barra, AMD’s Dr. Lisa Su, and WarnerMedia’s Ann Sarnoff. See the full lineup of CES 2021 speakers here.
In addition to the keynote program, CES 2021 will offer over 100 conference sessions. CTA also announced the conference session “Privacy and Trust with Amazon, Google and Twitter”:
- Keith Enright, chief privacy officer, Google
- Damien Kieran, chief privacy officer, Twitter
- Anne Toth, director, Alexa Trust, Amazon Alexa
CES Digital Venue
Audiences will experience the all-digital CES through the digital venue, the online platform created with technology partner Microsoft. The CTA released a video preview of the digital venue to provide a closer look at the experience that will foster collaboration, engagement, and connections.
Live Anchors
To help navigate the show, CTA announced a live anchor desk will be part of CES 2021, featuring familiar faces from the tech media world. This “central command” will help attendees navigate the digital experience, hear the latest news, and view interviews on critical tech topics. Featured anchors:
- Justine Ezarik (iJustine): host and tech content creator
- Rich DeMuro: tech reporter for KTLA-TV Channel 5 in Los Angeles
- Naomi Kyle: actress, producer, and host of Star Trek’s The Ready Room on CBS
- Brian Tong: tech host and content creator
“CES 2021 will be a collaborative experience, encouraging connections between audiences and exhibitors from around the world,” said Karen Chupka, EVP, CES, CTA. “We threw out the playbook and decided to not just recreate CES online, but to reimagine it. The digital transformation of our industry has given us opportunity to reach an even larger, global audience and create new experiences for this year and beyond.”
Exhibitors for CES 2021 include tech giants such as Canon, Hisense, Intel, Lenovo, LG Electronics, Panasonic, Philips, Sony, Samsung Electronics, TCL and Voxx, as well as non-traditional tech companies including Bridgestone, Caterpillar, Indy Autonomous Challenge, John Deere, L’Oréal, and Procter & Gamble.
