A word of praise and appreciation needs to be said about the work of the CTA and everyone who has been working tirelessly to try to make CES 2022 an in-person event under these difficult and unpredictable circumstances. You did everything right, and you were a big part of the reason why we were determined to attend, before the news of Omicron spreading. And we understand you now have an even more difficult challenge ahead, which is to manage whatever is left of the show — and making sure everyone makes it back safely.

The Health and Safety Protocols in place were by far the best we have ever seen. The message that everyone needs to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, and the testing and mask use recommendations were the most clear health protocols we've seen being put in place so far. Also, when dealing with practicalities, I noticed how everything was being considered, from daily rapid tests made available to all media participants, to free RT-PCR tests being provided for attendees who are traveling back to international destinations and who require a 24-hour notice test to travel. Everything was reassuring. Good luck next week!

At this stage, the most interesting realization is that the experience from previous trade shows and the virtual CES 2021 event is now being leveraged. We previously reported on the fact that the CTA had selected a new digital platform for CES 2022 - Web Summit’s event operating system, Summit Engine, and cloud-based event platform. Throughout the last few days I could already see how effective and valuable this tool can be. So, here is my recommendation for everyone not able to attend the show, all the companies who have planned to exhibit, and everyone who will still be conducting demos from the show floor: Use the official CES app and all the available online tools.

Next week - and probably two weeks after that one - is going to be a crazy busy time for everyone, because conducting business remotely is harder. So, as the CTA recommends, explore the resources to help you make the most of your CES experience. The CES website is a great and valuable resource to help reach out to those we intended to meet, those who are in Las Vegas, and those we missed from the show.

From my side, the appeal is for PR companies and manufacturers to please manage your announcement schedules and embargoes wisely and help us do our job to inform the audio industry. Send those press releases and photos ASAP (no press releases, no photos, and you will be dropped to the bottom of priorities). Also, allow some time for more conference calls to follow. It will be impossible to do everything in just the days of the show - and there's no reason not to extend the announcement schedule. And stream everything. This will be the first time where many showcases will actually take place in Las Vegas, with a global audience being able to watch remotely. At least for a show that is the size and importance of CES.

Last week we paused The Audio Voice for the holidays. During these days, as we all struggled with the perspectives of festivities once again restricted to family and the very closest ones - and still with a very high risk for the elderly - I started to think about the challenges for 2022. In particular, I started thinking about all the young companies and startups in the audio industry that have been struggling for the past two years to stand out in a very competitive environment. Keeping their development efforts and growth strategy investments in place, without really having much of chance to "test the waters" given the pandemic circumstances and everything that this global health crisis generated. And finally culminating in heavy cost increases and constrains in the supply chain that are not easily manageable by companies without strong institutional and financial backing. Extremely hard circumstances for companies without credentials for suppliers.

For this week’s newsletter, I intended to highlight a letter I received from Brian Youngil Cho, the CEO and founder of Resonado - one of many PR efforts I received in the preparation for CES 2022. I was touched by the tone of the message - from a company we followed closely since its foundation. We need to recognize also that many companies such as Resonado and countless other innovators have been working much harder to pursue their vision, and stay on course with their business plan. And they have certainly done well despite a worldwide pandemic and a resulting supply chain crisis.

My thoughts are obviously now toward all the promising startups and ventures we don't yet know, and that normally we would discover at CES. The hundreds of companies that will still man a cubicle booth at Eureka Park and knock on the doors of all the meeting suites looking for a chance to pitch their concepts, inventions, and plans. For those serving the audio industry directly or indirectly, and that we will not see in-person this year or anytime soon, I just want to say, please reach out. Yes, we will read your emails and we will pay attention to your message.

To close on a positive note. Welcome to the Year of the Tiger. I know it only starts February 1, but it seems that the Chinese Zodiac is increasingly relevant globally. And according to the predictions, the year of the Tiger 2022 is under the influence of the water element, which means that it will be a year of changes, wealth, abundance, and prosperity.

Here’s to 2022! And Let’s Return in Full Force for #CES2023!

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