2016 Commercial UAV Expo Keynotes Announced

15 Product Launches, 150 Exhibits, Industry Visionaries and Serious Buyers to Gather at October Event to Discover Most Advanced High-Precision Drones and Industry Applications

October 6, 2016 – The organizers of Commercial UAV Expo, taking place October 31–November 2, 2016 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, today announced the second annual conference will be the platform for over 15 high-precision drone product launches. Leading companies launching new systems and technologies include Aeryon Labs, Agrowing, AirGon, C-Astral, Datumate, EOS Systems / Photomodeler, Microdrones, Multirotor, Pix4D, RIEGL, Sensefly, SimActive, Smartvid.io TOPCON, Velodyne LiDAR and Infrafred Cameras Inc. Commercial UAV Expo is expected to draw over 2,000 participants, from across a broad swath of industries, who are pioneering the integration of commercial UAS in their businesses.  

Commercial UAV Expo is North America’s first, best-attended and most trusted conference for commercial UAS. The show specializes in process, power and utilities; civil infrastructure; construction; surveying and mapping; mining and aggregates; precision agriculture; and law enforcement, emergency response, search and rescue (SAR). Unlike other drone conferences, it uniquely serves serious commercial buyers and large enterprise asset owners and operators, delivering high-level conference programming and best-in-class exhibits from high-precision solution providers.   

The full Commercial UAV Expo education program features technology experts and industry-specific breakout sessions and panels to help those looking to integrate UAS understand the rules for drone operators as well as how to expand their own programs. It will highlight product previews and include a University Pavilion to showcase UAS initiatives from leading research and technical universities around the world.

The Commercial UAV Expo’s singular focus on top industry verticals for UAS integration brings together leading commercial drone visionaries to keynote the event. In the lineup this year are:

• Chris Anderson, former editor of WIRED magazine, The New York Times bestselling author and CEO of 3D Robotics, on “The Opportunity is in the Information”
• Jonathan Downey, Airware CEO & Founder, on “Aerial Data and the Enterprise: What’s Possible & What’s on the Horizon”
• Dr. Robbie Hood, NOAA, on “Impact of UAVs on Investment in Data Management”
• Anil Nanduri, Intel VP of New Technology on “UAV Initiatives at Intel”
• Mark Bathrick, U.S. Dept of Interior, on “Four Must-Have Competencies for Commercial UAV Success”
• Bob Young, CEO, PrecisionHawk on “Commercial UAVs: Transitioning into Tomorrow”

“The 2016 event showcases the industry’s leading companies and key thought leaders driving the market forward. It’s a critical time in the commercial drone industry, which estimates substantial revenue increases exceeding $12 billion in 2021 and generation of over $82 billion for the U.S. economy over the next 10 years,” said Lisa Murray, Director, Commercial UAV Expo. “Commercial UAV Expo is all about facilitating that growth by delivering the interactions that end user companies need and providing all the latest news on how the industry is evolving.”

At the 2015 event, over 1,500 professionals from 49 states and 37 countries attended; nine out of ten attendees were involved in purchasing decisions; and 94% found new products or services. The 2015 Expo featured 110 booths of vendor solutions from 14 countries. The 2016 event has rapidly grown, with 150 booths on the exhibit floor and attendance tracking 50% ahead of last year. Participants familiar with last year’s event speak candidly about the value of the conference:

“Velodyne LiDAR has exhibited at nearly a dozen UAV shows over the past three years. While each show has its individual strengths, only Commercial UAV Expo reaches all the top verticals for UAV applications—including mapping, utilities, energy, and infrastructure,” said David Oroshnik, Director of Technical Solutions, Velodyne. “Additionally, the company’s other conferences have a long history of attracting well educated attendees who challenge us and help shape our product direction.”

“Aerialtronics is pleased to support Commercial UAV Expo in Las Vegas this year as last year we found the quality of decision-makers attending the show to be top quality,” said Jeremy Wigmore, CEO, Aerialtronics. “The organizers delivered serious buyers in the vertical markets we serve where the Aerialtronics Altura Zenith ATX8 hardware, applications and solutions are best suited, creating a significant demand for our product.”

"For AirMap, Commercial UAV Expo is the perfect way to share ideas with the people and companies who use our drone airspace management platform—and for our team to learn more about the most important developments in the industry from the best issue experts in the business," said Greg McNeal, EVP & Co-Founder, AirMap.

“Altavian takes a different approach to UAV with aircraft built for tough environmental conditions and precisely accurate data collection. For this reason, we selected Commercial UAV Expo given the organizers’ ability to attract high-level precision measurement professionals and experts who recognize the power behind better data,” said John Perry, CEO, Altavian. “We anticipate a highly successful show in 2016.”

These leading UAS companies will be exhibiting at Commercial UAV Expo 2016, and the list keeps growing:

Registration is still open for the conference. UAV professionals are encouraged to register in advance to save $100 compared to onsite prices and avoid long lines. Companies interested in learning about exhibiting may inquire here. Commercial UAV professionals may inquire about attending here.  

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About Commercial UAV Expo

Commercial UAV Expo, presented by Commercial UAV News, is a conference and exhibition exclusively focused on the commercial drone market covering industries including Surveying & Mapping; Civil Infrastructure; Aggregates & Mining; Construction; Process, Power & Utilities; Precision Agriculture; Law Enforcement, Emergency Response and Search & Rescue (SAR). Commercial UAV Expo will take place October 31-November 2, 2016 at MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

About Commercial UAV News

Commercial UAV News is a leading source of news, insight and analysis for the commercial drone market, focusing on Surveying & Mapping; Civil Infrastructure; Aggregates & Mining; Construction; Process, Power & Utilities; Precision Agriculture; Law Enforcement, Emergency Response and Search & Rescue (SAR). In addition to daily news and a weekly newsletter, the site features exclusive industry-specific reports about how drones are being used in various markets. Jeremiah Karpowicz is the Executive Editor.

Commercial UAV Expo is organized by Diversified Communications, a leading organizer of conferences and trade shows with 15 years in the geospatial arena, including SPAR 3D Expo & Conference and International LiDAR Mapping Forum.

CONTACTS:

Lee Ann Corkhill, Diversified Communications

lcorkhill@divcom.com; 1-207-842-5520

Sarah Borup, SHIFT Communications

UAVExpo@shiftcomm.com; 617-779-1803