CES 2018 had a shaky start on Wednesday when there was a power outage at the Las Vegas Convention Center, the space at which the event was held. The major blackout lasted for around two hours in the Central Hall and some parts of the North Hall. Security ushered attendees from the areas during that time.
"A preliminary assessment indicates that condensation from heavy rainfall caused a flashover on one of the facility’s transformers,” a statement from the CTA, the organization that puts on CES, read. “We are grateful to NV Energy for their swift assistance, to our customers and their clients for their patience and to the staff for ensuring the safety and security of all attendees and exhibitors."
CES (or the Consumer Electronics Show) is one of the biggest trade shows for technology in the country, so a power outage is clearly not the most ideal situation. But once the news spread, the organizers tweeted they were aware of the issue. "There is an isolated power outage at the Las Vegas Convention Center. We are working hard to resolve this and appreciate your patience," they said. From the unexpected flooding in the area to the blackout, today was definitely not a great one for CES.
And as with anything chaos-related, Twitter rushed in to get some jokes off with the hashtag #CESBlackout. Get into some of the best and most witty reactions (many of which appropriately called attention to Puerto Rico) below.