Gary Shapiro, president of the Consumer Electronics Association, has announced that attendance at future editions of the Consumer Electronics Show will have a hard cap.
A record 176,676 people attended CES 2015 (48,833 from outside the USA). Exhibitors passed 3,600 for the first time, filling around 207,200m² of space. Almost 7,000 press and analysts attended, and 153 countries were represented.
Many of these numbers are new records, but CES is now approaching capacity. For CES 2016, and future shows, the CEA has said that it will use enhanced (read: stricter) methods of accepting credentials and tighter qualification criteria. The new procedures will apply to new registrants, or previous registrants who did not attend CES 2014 or 2015.
A new registration fee structure will also come into effect, with attendees paying a $100 advance fee when registration opens this year (8th July). Those who attended CES 2014 or 2015 will have a 30-day window in which to avoid this fee. The charge will rise to $300 on the 21st December.
Attendance will be capped at 176,000.
