The opening of CES was marred by torrential rain, leaving technology giant Google unable to open its booth on the first day of the show.
The annual convention in Las Vegas, which began on Tuesday, is expected to welcome more than 170,000 visitors.
Google, exhibiting at the show for the first time, was unable to open its outdoor booth after it was partially flooded by downpours.
Water dripping from the roof was also reported inside other parts of the Las Vegas Convention Centre.
The roof of the Las Vegas Convention Centre is leaking. It’s been raining steadily in the city all day #CES2018 pic.twitter.com/ps6rA2GUbE
— Martyn Landi (@MartynLandi) January 9, 2018
The company made light of the incident on social media, referencing its virtual helper Google Assistant to check the weather forecast.
“Hey Google, what’s the weather in Las Vegas tomorrow?,” a post to the company’s Instagram account read.
“A few drops of water at #CES2018 can’t keep us from playing for long – stay tuned for more views from the Google Assistant Playground.”
According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, more than an inch of rain fell, ending a record 116-day dry spell for the city.
Show organiser the Consumer Technology Association (CTA) did not comment on the incident, but chief executive Gary Shapiro did hail the start of the four-day event.
“The future of innovation is on display this week at CES, with technology that will empower consumers and change our world for the better,” he said.
“Every major industry is represented here at CES 2018, with global brands and a record number of startups unveiling products that will revolutionise how we live, work and play.
“From the latest in self-driving vehicles, smart cities, AI, sports tech, robotics, health and fitness tech and more, the innovation at CES 2018 will further global business and spur new jobs and new markets around the world.”
