Commercial UAV Expo Will Be Held as a Worldwide Virtual Event

Commercial UAV Expo Americas is a re-imagined virtual event where the commercial drone community will gather to learn, connect, and drive the industry forward to create a new future. The event will feature virtual exhibits and demonstrations by UAS solutions providers; keynotes, panel discussions, and presentations with interactive Q&A and chat; AI-powered networking; and more. In addition to content about the challenges and opportunities, the industry is facing due to COVID-19, industries covered include Construction; Drone Delivery; Energy & Utilities; Forestry & Agriculture; Infrastructure & Transportation; Mining & Aggregates; Public Safety & Emergency Services; Security; and Surveying & Mapping. It is presented by Commercial UAV News and organized by Diversified Communications, a global event producer that also organizes Commercial UAV Expo Europe, GeoBusiness Show,International LiDAR Mapping Forum, SPAR3D Expo & Conference and AEC Next Expo & Conference.

What Will the FAA Have to Say?

The drone industry is always anxious to hear what’s happening with regulation from the FAA in the short and long term and there’s no better person to provide this kind of update than FAA Administrator Steve Dickinson. Administrator Dickinson has stated that “safety is a joint responsibility between government, pilots, the drone community, the general public and many others who make our nation so creative and innovative,” but what that will actually mean for the drone industry is something that will define his presentation. Where is the FAA on the path to full integration? How will the waiver process play out amidst the pandemic and beyond? These are a few of the questions that will be explored from the person who will be defining those answers for the FAA and the drone industry as a whole. 

Real Networking in a Virtual World

The shift of the Commercial UAV Expo into a virtual format isn’t one that was made lightly, partly because Commercial UAV Expo Americas 2019 saw a record-breaking number of exhibitors and attendees. However, with mass gatherings not a realistic option in the near term, what will it mean to connect and network in a virtual environment? What will it be like to experience a product through a virtual exhibit? The Commercial UAV Expo team has created a platform and agenda that will answer all of these questions and more while also showcasing how the leading commercial drone show becomes a compelling virtual event.

Security, UTM and Foreign Drone Policy

The conference program of the Commercial UAV Expo features numerous presenters exploring the logistics and details around how drones have been utilized in industries that range from agriculture to construction to energy to public safety, all of which can help define the value of the technology for individual users and entire organizations. In addition to these specific applications, topics related to privacy, security and policy which equally impact users across all of these sectors will also be explored. These discussions will provide insights around the adoption of drone technology across the world. 

Drone Innovations, Technology Updates and Enterprise Program ROI

While concerns around current and upcoming regulation from the FAA capture most of the headlines in the UAV industry, questions about practicalities like return on investment are even more pronounced. As part of that, new hardware and software innovations are always redefining expectations around what it means to define the value of drone technology when it comes to performing a given task in a faster, cheaper or safer way. The virtual exhibit floor will feature a whole set of companies that will have staff on hand to directly answer these questions and any others about how their solutions can make a difference.

A “New Normal” in the Drone Industry

To say that drones and the drone industry itself have changed in the midst of the COVID 19 pandemic is an understatement in every sense, but that’s because the entire world is being reshaped before our eyes. Whether it’s a shift, expansion or evolution, the “new normal” in the drone industry is a topic that will be directly and indirectly addressed during all three days of the conference. 

Balancing the Gender Equation 

Industries are becoming aware that gaining gender equality it isn’t about playing a numbers game—how many women you have employed—but rather about developing a supportive framework that will attract and keep women in the field by providing paths that can lead to growth and success. But what does it mean to support women in this space, and what does that support actually look like?  We will be discussing this in multiple forums this year. In addition to our Women in Drones panel, which will focus on discussing concrete ways industry leaders and individuals can support, inspire, and attract more women to the industry and help them to be successful in diverse roles, there will be an all-women UPS keynote panel, “Building a Drone Delivery Airline While Balancing the Gender Equation.”

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