It’s the first full-blown in-person CES event in 2 years since the pandemic.

CES 2023 is expected to attract 100,000 in-person attendees to Las Vegas Jan. 5-8 to see 2,200 exhibitors and attend 200 conference sessions, event officials said in a media preview on Wednesday.

The attendance projection by Consumer Technology Association CEO Gary Shapiro represents more than a doubling of the 45,000 people who attended CES 2022 in January, which in turn was far below the 170,000 who attended the previous in-person event in 2020 just at the outset of the global pandemic.

Covid-19 pushed CES online in 2021, then the omicron coronavirus variant surged in late 2021 prior to the 2022 event, apparently keeping many away.  At the last in-person event in January 2022, conference attendees were required to wear masks and show proof of vaccination before arrival.

For 2023, CES will make masks available but not require they be worn. “Wear a high-quality mask indoors if you are more comfortable, and we ask that you respect those around you that choose to do so,” CES said on its website.

CES also strongly encourages attendees to get vaccines and boosters, as well as annual flu shots. “We strongly recommend you self-test before leaving and upon arriving in Las Vegas,” CES advised.  Since 2020, CES official exhibit venues have improved ventilation systems and increased outside airflow.

Even though CES 2023 is expecting a surge in in-person attendance, event organizers will still present 200 sessions online, many available on replay for several weeks following the event.

The pandemic and online events have not been a replacement for in-person events, Shapiro said. “We’ve learned how much humans need other humans,” he said.  In-person events allow for what he called “the 5 cents experience” where serendipity comes into play and where technology startups can make an impact on potential investors and other audiences.

“As much as I like technology, I think nothing is more important than CES or other trade shows,” Shapiro said.

CES 2023 will feature product launches and serve as a “platform for big ideas to enhance human capacity,” Shapiro said.

Of the 2,200 vendors expected at CES 2023, about 1,000 are startups at Eureka Park and other areas, although old favorites such as Microsoft will also exhibit. There will be 20 country pavilions, including a Ukraine Tech exhibit.

CES 2023 will again feature vehicle technology, with 300 vendors showing cars, boats and farm machines in the West Hall at the Las Vegas Convention Center. Elsewhere, medical tech and food tech will be featured along with a Web3 program to focus on cryptocurrencies and blockchain that expands on a 2022 spotlight on the metaverse.