The CES Flu? That's when you attend the annual tech expo in Vegas that typically kicks off in the first week of the new year and come home sick, or get sick after coming home. I got to wondering, what exactly is the deal with that? I have a hypothesis and after doing a bit of research it appears to be solid... The show's timing is such that illnesses picked up during holiday gatherings have time to incubate and become contagious right when the show kicks off. This year, only six days separate New Year's Eve parties and the start of CES. So you might go to the show carrying a cold that has yet to manifest symptoms, or you might pick something up at the show. The timing lines up perfectly for getting sick by going. The CES Flu is a perpetuation of the notorious holiday illnesses that come from travel and family gatherings and New Years parties. None of this contagion would be the case if CES was instead held in the third week of January. Some points... 1. Holiday Season as a Precursor: The holiday season is notorious for widespread travel, crowded airports, packed family gatherings, and lots of close contact with people outside one’s usual circle. These are ideal conditions for the spread of colds, flu, and other viruses. 2. Incubation Period: Common viruses like influenza and the common cold typically have an incubation period of 1–7 days. Someone exposed during holiday gatherings could easily still be in the contagious phase during CES without even realizing they’re sick. 3. CES Environment: CES itself is a perfect storm for spreading illness: Enclosed Spaces: Conference halls, meeting rooms, crowded booths. International Attendance: Attendees come from all over the world, bringing regional variants of illnesses. 4. Physical Contact: Handshakes, shared devices, door handles, etc. Fatigue and Stress: Long hours, lack of sleep, poor hydration, and overall stress weaken the immune system. 5. Timing Proximity: CES kicks off just about 10–14 days after peak holiday travel in late December, lining up perfectly with the incubation and contagious periods of many illnesses. 6. “CES Flu” as a Misnomer: It’s entirely possible that the so-called “CES Flu” isn’t something uniquely caught at CES but rather an illness contracted during the holidays that manifests or is exacerbated by the taxing nature of the event.
From all I heard, in 2020 the CES Flu had an extra bonus: Covid 19... but people didn't fully know what it was until a few months later...
Caught COVID there in 2020, left sick after CES many times...
Have gone 3 years in a row and this year got really sick. Wednesday night in the hotel was sleepless with tossing and turning, pretty sure a fever. I has just recovered from a cold (or so I thought the day before flying out to Vegas on the 5th). This is a brutal flu, my hands are swollen, major body aches, ankles are hurting and feel like arthritis, I'm walking around like an old man.
In all my years attending I never got sick. However your points are very valid. I would add to the fact that for vendors the days are quite long (sometimes up to two weeks). Add to that you find yourself up to all hours of the morning or not sleeping at all coupled with (for some) a penchant for excessive alcohol consumption and you have a reason to suspect one’s immune system is lost somewhere on the strip.
Chris Boylan
1w
I call it "ShowVID." BTW I only made it halfway home from this year's show. My connection through Atlanta didn't go well (they can't handle snow and freezing rain very well). Consider yourself lucky you got a pass this year.
Robert Zohn
2w
Thank you for this important post! Great reminder to ware a proper mask all the time at CES!
Very accurate. Even before 2020 Covid spread (was also infected), every year the show is a platform incubating technology and 🤧 illnesses. Masks, no hand shakes all go against our human connections. Let’s pray for a great show, year and health and safety for all.
I’m certain I got my first dose of Covid at the very crowded, downsized Samsung booth at CES 2020. So many Samsung employees manifested symptoms that the company then had to lease an entire plane to haul them home. They couldn’t fly commercial.
Head of Sales & Marketing @ Linear Tube Audio | High-end Audio
3wEvery conference has its own version of this, for obvious reasons (lots of people from all over, packed together, talking/yelling at close range, shaking hands, touching the same products, etc). When I attended SXSW years ago, held in Austin in the early Spring, they called it "South-By SARS" (SARS was having a moment at the time). They may still call it that. Point being, it was a thing.