TORONTO -- It’s the biggest gathering of new tech products in the world, but this year the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas is a virtual event.

“A lot of companies were concerned, not just if attendees would show up in Las Vegas, but there were also concerns from employees, there was a lot of anxiety," Gary Shapiro, the CEO of the Consumer Technology Association, said.

Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, many tech companies did well in 2020 as people bought laptops, headphones and big screen TVs to work and self-isolate at home.

In 2021, many companies are looking to showcase new products that are related to curbing the spread of the novel coronavirus, which have to do with sanitizing, air filtration and killing germs.

Despite being a virtual show, organizers were able to get 2,000 different companies to take part in online events.

5G will continue to get a lot of attention because the higher speeds will open up new doors of innovation for entertainment, smart home technology and telemedicine.

The pandemic is also influencing some products with more touchless technology, germ killing UV lighting and built-in sanitizing.

Samsung is showcasing a new refrigerator that as well as being loaded with technology has different coloured panels available to match your kitchen or allow you to change the colour if you renovate.

Samsung also released a new robotic smart vacuum that can tell them difference between certain objects so it can decide if it should try to get as close to them as it can or avoid them entirely.

LG rollable phone

LG has a new smartphone with an rollable display. It can go from a 6.7 inch to 7.8 inch with simple tap of a finger. The company also unveiled a scrolling display product that can unroll and retract.

Tech experts like Paul Gray said there is a lot to check out, but it will really depend on what consumers want in the long-term.

“Of course, what we've got to work out is what consumers really want out of these things. What's the gimmick? What sticks?" Gray said.

When it comes to face masks LG has also unveiled a mask that comes with wearable air purifier technology.

The company claims it is “designed for personal protection and peace of mind wherever you go."

Show organizers say they're not sure what next year holds, but they're already saying it could be a hybrid event. People could still travel to Las Vegas to show case products in person, but many others products could be unveiled online.