On this page, you will find information on past and upcoming drone events as well as other important milestones in the drone industry. Feel free to submit information about your event or notify us of any omissions, errors and such. The calendar page is a work in progress. Email us directly at tips [at] dronedj.com.
2020
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DJI AirWorks
The fifth annual AirWorks Conference, which focuses on commercial and enterprise drones, is taking place virtually this year. Scheduled for August 25 to August 28, this show has become known for its excellent learning track and speakers.
And this year, it will also be known as a bargain. DJI has drastically reduced pricing, hoping to pull a lot of people in the door. From now until July 8, you can pick up a virtual ticket for $49 right here. After that, the price will increase to $99.
Still, that’s a bargain for what the conference DJI says “is a hub for innovation and growth, enabling participants in this ecosystem to exchange ideas, gain more control of drone technology, and steer the future development of the industry.”
FAA UAS Symposium
The Federal Aviation Administration, as part of its ongoing commitment to knowledge sharing and dialogue, is putting on its FAA UAS Symposium – Remotely Piloted Edition. The program is divided into two different chunks, or “episodes” taking place July 8-9 and August 18-19. Between them, the FAA is promising “a variety of sessions that will bring you direct insights from FAA leadership, collaborative discussions on the state of enabling technologies and future regulations, and instructive how-to sessions for operators – all focused on safely advancing UAS integration into the National Airspace System!”
Pricing and dates for the FAA UAS Symposium
Keynotes include such interesting topics as “Dude, Where’s My Drone?” The full program can be accessed here. There are a variety of pricing options, which you can find on the FAA’s registration page.
AUVSI XPONENTIAL (Dallas)
This is one of the biggest and most serious conferences out there. The Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International draws delegates from around the world to its annual XPONENTIAL conferences, including representatives of companies that make the smallest widgets up to those that build the largest drones. There’s something for everyone, and it’s generally a “must-attend” event for those who make their living in the drone world.
This year, AUVSI has settled on carrying out a full, physical convention. It will take place in Dallas October 5-8 at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center. AUVSI has hosted there before, and it’s an excellent venue for a production of this scale. (It’s also, for history buffs, within walking distance of Dealey Plaza, where US President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in 1963.)
Commercial UAV Expo: Americas
The Commercial UAV Expo has also shifted its plans due to COVID-19. The event will now be a virtual one, taking place September 15 to 17.
“Due to ongoing health and safety concerns stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic, members of the commercial drone community we serve have made it clear that it would be impossible to hold the live event as originally planned. In the interests of ensuring our community still has an opportunity learn from and connect with each other, we have reimagined Commercial UAV Expo Americas as a fully virtual event taking place September 15-17, 2020,” said Lisa Murray, Group Director at Diversified Communications, organizer of Commercial UAV Expo Americas.
FAA Administrator Stephen M. Dickson will keynote, but that’s just one of multiple presentations lined up. Watch for updated details on agenda and pricing here.
Unmanned Systems Canada – Systèmes Télécommandés Canada
Unmanned Systems Canada (USC-STC), is the country’s largest organization of those with an interest in the unmanned field. Users, service providers, academics, regulators and more attend this annual event – which has gained a reputation for the high-quality of its learning track.
Because USC-STC has turned this year’s event virtual, it’s encouraging more international attendees to take part. Reduced pricing is in effect for the three-day event, scheduled to take place November 3-5. Details are available here.
Interdrone (Dallas)
Interdrone has become a mainstay for many who hit up drone conferences – and it’s easy to see why.
“Whether you are a commercial drone flyer, UAV engineer or developer, or service provider,” promises its website, “InterDrone offers a packed training program for anyone in the commercial drone industry with practical, immediately actionable content, and unique hands-on training.”
This year’s conference will be physical, taking place in Dallas December 15 to 17. Pricing is available here. However, because there are certain risks associated with gatherings during the time of COVID-19, the fine print requires that all attendees wear masks (which will be supplied), and also that you absolve organizers of any responsibility should you become sick after attending this event.
2019
January
- January 8-11 – CES 2019 in Las Vegas
February
- February 12-14 – FAA Symposium in Baltimore – POSTPONED
- February 22-24 – AMA Expo NJ
- February 25 – March 1 – WPPI in Las Vegas
March
- March 12-13 – Arkansas Drone – Unmanned Aircraft Systems Summit
- March 14-16 – Japan Drone Expo
April
- April 6-11 – NAB Show in Las Vegas, NV
- April 25-26 – Dronetech America, New York, NY
- April 29 – May 2nd – AUVSI XPONENTIAL 2019 in Chicago, IL
May
- April 29 – May 2nd – AUVSI XPONENTIAL in Chicago, IL
June
- June 3-5 – 4th annual UAS Symposium, organized by the FAA and UAVSI at the Baltimore Convention Center in Baltimore, MD.
- June 27-30 – Drone Expo East, Atlantic City Convention Center, NJ
July
- …
August
- …
September
- September 24-26 – DJI Airworks 2019 in Los Angeles, CA
October
- …
November
- …
December
- …
2018
January
- January 8-11 – CES 2018 (our coverage)
- January 23 – DJI introduced the DJI Mavic Air
February
- February 13 – Skydio launches R1 – first fully autonomous drone
- February 26-28 – WPPI at the Mandalay Bay hotel in Las Vegas
- February 26 – March 1st – International Drone Expo, Barcelona, Spain
March
- March 1st – International Drone Expo, Barcelona, Spain
- March 3-4 – NYC Drone Film Festival
- March 6-8 – FAA UAS Symposium in Baltimore, MD (our coverage)
- March 16-17 – National Drone Educators Conference, Saratoga, CA
- March 22-24 – Japan Drone Expo for commercial UAS
- March 23 – DJI introduced the XT2 camera and Skyport
April
- April 7-12 – NAB Show – Aerial Robotics & Drone Pavilion 2018
- April 9 – DJI introduced the Master Wheels and Force Pro
- April 10-12 – Commercial UAV Expro Europe, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- April 11-12 – The Drone Show, Barcelona Spain
- April 15-19 – SPIE, Orlando, Florida
- April 18-20 – International Drone Expo 2018, Makuhari Messe, Chiba, Japan
- April 19-20 – Global Robot Expo, Madrid, Spain
- April 25-26 – Military Robotics and Autonomous Systems, London, United Kingdon
- April 25-26 – The Silicon Valley Drone Show, San Francisco, CA
- April 30 – AUVSI Xponential – All things unmanned at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver
May
- May 1-3 – AUVSI Xponential – All things unmanned at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver
- May 16-18 – DroneCon, Johannesburg, South Africa
- May 18-20 – Drone Expo, Commercial Drone Show, Athens, Greece
- May 23-25 – International Drone Expo, Tokyo, Japan
- May 30-31 – DroneFocus, Fargo, ND
June
- June 6-7 – Unmanned Cargo Aircraft Conference, Venlo, The Netherlands
- June 11-15 – CeBIT 2018 Unmanned Systems & Solutions, Hannover, Germany
- June 12-15 – International Conference on Unmanned Aircraft Systems, Dallas, TX
- June 20-22 – Energy Drone Coalition, Dallas, TX
- June 25-27 – Robotics and Autonomous Systems, Detroit MI
- June 25-29 – Demand for Unmanned, Atlanta, GA
July
- July 11 – DJI select press/media event
- July 18 – The original date for DJI’s “See the Bigger Picture” event. It was postponed until August 23
August
- August 20-22 – UAS Summit & Expo, Grand Forks, ND
- August 23 – DJI’s “See the Bigger Picture” event
- August 31 – September 5 – IFA Berlin. Germany
September
- August 31 – September 5 – IFA Berlin. Germany
- September 5 – 7 – InterDrone, Rio Hotel, Las Vegas, NV
- September 12 – 14 – International Drone Expo, Los Angeles Convention Center
- September 13-14 – Drone Enable/2 (our coverage)
October
- October 1-3 – Commercial UAV Expo Americas, Las Vegas, NV
- October 15, European Drone Summit, Frankfurt, Germany
- October 30 – November 1 – DJI’s AirWorks, Dallas Texas
November
- November 1 – DJI’s AirWorks, Dallas Texas
- November 14 – 15, The Commercial UAV Show in London
- November 14 – 15, Unmanned Security Expo New York
- November 26-30 – Amsterdam Drone Week
- November – Government Video Expo and National Drone Show (date unknown)
December
- …
2017
- May 24 – DJI introduced the DJI Spark
- November 7-9 – DJI’s AirWorks
2016
- September 19 – GoPro announces the GoPro Karma.
- September 27 – DJI introduced the DJI Mavic Pro.
