Next month, professionals and thought leaders from throughout the commercial UAV sector will come together for the annual Commercial UAV Expo, being held September 2-4 at Caesars Forum in Las Vegas. The three-day event offers excellent learning and networking opportunities for drone pilots, professionals across a number of sectors and organizations seeking partnerships with pilots, as well as individuals looking to stay informed about the industry’s trends, both current and future.
The event features a robust conference program, an exhibit floor that includes many of the top companies and organizations in the industry as well as networking opportunities throughout the event. Focusing on the conference program, attendees will be able to see presentations showcasing some of the most interesting and innovative case studies in the industry today and panel discussions with industry thought leaders shedding light on the trends they are seeing in the space. They’ll also have the opportunity to participate in a variety of roundtable discussions, both sharing their own experiences while hearing from peers about how they are navigating topics like scaling a business, integrating drones into existing workflows and more.
Registration for this year’s event is still open. If you’re still on the fence, read below to learn more about what attendees for this year’s Commercial UAV Expo stand to gain.
BVLOS and Part 108
Of course, the biggest conversation within the drone industry today is operating Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS), and more specifically, in the United States, the upcoming initial release of Part 108 rules. These topics will, of course, be covered throughout the event. As of this writing, the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) for Part 108 has still not been released, but all indications are that it should be out soon. With that in mind, that will of course be a major topic of conversation at this year’s event.
Throughout the conference program, one can expect this topic to come up in the vast majority of sessions, at least tangentially. These rules will affect nearly every sector within the commercial UAV industry and we’ve got you covered. Wednesday will feature one session that includes two panels discussing the current landscape for BVLOS operations. Thursday in the Pilot Hub, attendees will have a chance to learn about the status of Part 108 at that point in time, as well as an opportunity to ask panelists their burning questions on the topic.
These conversations aren’t just limited to the conference program, though. One of the most valuable parts of events like the Commercial UAV Expo is being able to network and talk with other professionals throughout the industry. One can fully expect the exhibit hall floor to be buzzing with talk about BVLOS operations and Part 108. All three days of the events will also end with networking opportunities in the Exhibit Hall, where these conversations always take hold.
Real-World Applications
When new products are released or when people talk about the ways that drones can impact different industries, conversations often happen at a relatively high level. The discussion generally centers on potential, which is helpful, but doesn’t always provide the necessary value for someone interested in utilizing a new product or a business owner deciding whether or not to build or hire a drone program. For those kinds of decisions, it’s generally helpful to hear about tangible applications and case studies from those who experienced the project first-hand—the successes and challenges they experienced in the field.
This year’s Commercial UAV Expo conference program provides ample opportunity to hear from practitioners about specific projects to help shape attendees’ decisions. That includes each of the two keynote sessions, which will kick off the second and third days of the event. In one of the presentations for Wednesday’s keynote, for example, the team from HDR will talk about how they worked to conduct the first-ever drone operation within the Grand Canyon. That session will also feature a representative from Dominion Energy about how they unlocked ROI for their internal drone program. In Thursday’s keynote, a panel discussion will allow industry leaders to speak about real-world examples of breaking down siloes and collaborating within the industry.
And those are just the keynote talks. These kinds of tangible examples and case studies will be present throughout the rest of the conference program tool. On Wednesday, a session will talk through some of the most interesting use cases for drone technology this year. Later in the day, a series of presentations will showcase how organizations from a number of different sectors are creating value with drones. Thursday will include sessions with real-world applications specific to sectors like surveying, construction and emergency response.
Autonomy and Other Future Considerations
While there will be plenty of discussion around what is happening right now, both in the case of current regulations as well as modern applications, there will be just as much discussion about what the future holds. The next decade-plus is poised to be an extremely exciting one for the UAV industry, and this is the place to hear about the trends industry leaders are anticipating. Sessions throughout the conference program will include thought leaders talking about how they are thinking about topics like autonomy and artificial intelligence, and a roundtable discussion – open to all registrants – will take place on Thursday to discuss the next generation of drone professionals and operations. Advanced Air Mobility (AAM), will also be a topic of conversation in a session put on by DRONERESPONDERS.
First-Hand Looks at Leading Technology
While we’ve generally focused on the conference programming and conversations that will take place throughout this three-day event, Commercial UAV Expo also includes an exhibit hall floor featuring the leading companies within the industry. In between sessions and networking opportunities, attendees can also visit the booths for leading companies and startups alike, seeing the latest technologies available within the market and how they can fit into their operations.Registration for the 2025 Commercial UAV Expo is still open. Don’t miss your chance to be part of this year’s event!