For the second time, CES is making a befitting comeback after the Covid dampener.

Usually a mammoth event, the Las Vegas Electronics Show used to fit in well with the general mega-mania of the American desert city known for its mega-casinos.

But in 2022 the atmosphere was unusually tranquil.

There was actually supposed to be a big comeback after the forced break caused by the pandemic, but just a few weeks beforehand, the rapidly spreading omicron variant of the corona virus dashed this hope.

Roland Lindner

Business correspondent in New York.

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There was a wave of cancellations.

A number of prominent exhibitors such as Google, Intel and Mercedes-Benz decided to stay away from the fair.

There were many calls for the CES to be canceled entirely, but the organizers went ahead with the event, albeit a day shorter than originally planned.

And so a badly decimated fair took place, which one could find spooky or cozy depending on one's perspective.

Instead of full exhibition halls and dense crowds in the aisles, as usual, there were empty exhibitor areas everywhere.

A few attempts were made to fill the space in other ways, for example with a large neon sign saying "Welcome To Fabulous Las Vegas" that invited people to take selfies.

The balance for 2022 was modest: around 45,000 visitors came, just over a quarter as many as in 2020, when there were 171,000.

In 2021 the fair was held in purely virtual form.

Apple is staying away from CES

The official start of CES 2023 is on Thursday, but many companies are already presenting innovations at press conferences in the days before.

This time there was no wave of cancellations, and the organizers from the Consumer Technology Association (CTA) are expecting significantly more activity than last year.

However, they still do not expect a return to the level before the pandemic, which could again raise fundamental questions about a loss of importance of trade fairs.

A target of 100,000 visitors was set, which would be well short of 2020 and the even stronger previous years.

This time there should be around 3000 exhibitors, two years ago there were more than 4400. Corona effects will still be felt, like last year the aisles in the halls should be wider than before.

However, there are generally fewer restrictions, vaccinations and masks are no longer mandatory, but only recommended.

Some of America's tech industry's most prominent companies will be back in Las Vegas, including Microsoft , Google and Amazon , while Apple will be absent as usual.

This time, too, a major trend from recent years will continue: the CES is increasingly becoming a car show, and for many manufacturers it has become a must-attend event.

Almost all German brands will be present this year.

BMW and Volkswagen have prominent stands in the central square in front of the convention center.