The Commercial UAV Expo is a hub for drone innovation and advancement.
In September 2024, I had the privilege of accompanying the Women and Drones community to the Commercial UAV Expo in Las Vegas, NV. This Expo was meant to serve as a hub for innovation, experimentation, and the sharing of ideas and passions alike. As someone relatively new to the drone industry, I’d had limited exposure to the broader community of drone enthusiasts and the language and environment they share. Much of my experience at the Expo involved exposure to the ideas and excitement within this emerging field, but more importantly, connecting me with the people responsible for its success.
On my first day at the Expo, I began the morning with a panel discussion featuring one of Women and Drone’s own – Desi Ekstein – discussing the critical changes and challenges shaping the future of the drone industry. While the concepts and topics impressed me, what struck me most was the passion of the individuals on the panel. Each person had a unique perspective and story on their place in the industry, how they were shaping their path and their successes. This theme followed in all of the subsequent workshops I attended in my two days at the conference. I spent the rest of the afternoon attending exhibitor showcase presentations, the Welcome Reception and meeting countless individuals in the drone field.
Wednesday morning opened with the keynote address, putting a majority of the attendees in the same space for the morning and offering a sense of the scale of what may appear to be a niche industry. But from within, it is a flourishing and exponentially growing consortium. I attended two case study-based workshops in the afternoon on climate and public safety. I was again introduced to a world of lingo that I had yet to grasp but more presently, a room full of people eager to expand upon and share their own knowledge with one another.
At the end of my second day, I visited the exhibit hall, where the true scale and prestige of this emerging industry is most vibrantly abundant. I was able to connect with individuals from countless backgrounds and innumerable ways of engaging with and advancing the drone sector. Most prominently, I met individuals willing to lift me up, as someone completely new to the industry, so that I may join them in the pursuit of knowledge this rapidly advancing industry.
Overall, this experience was highly influential in my exploration of the field of aviation and its many ever-expanding prospects. I value the experience I received in terms of exposure to such a large scale sharing of ideas and passions as well as the people who enlivened those feelings and are learning and adapting on the daily to match them. I thank Women and Drones for this incredible opportunity and a successful end to my time as a summer intern for them.
