Drone Industry Sees Trade Show Consolidation: Commercial UAV Expo Scoops Up Drone World Expo

In what might come as a relief for the various organizations, companies, and institutions that comprise the drone ecosystem that find themselves fretting and jetting about which industry trade shows matter, Lisa Murray, Director of Commercial UAV Expo, has announced her parent firm Diversified Communications is acquiring Drone World Expo from JD Events.

Diversified Communications is the organizer of  Commercial UAV Expo Americas, Commercial UAV Expo Europe and publishers of Commercial UAV News. As it happens Commercial UAV Expo 2017 has been taking place in Las Vegas and is just wrapping up. Colin Snow, the Drone Analyst, has been tweeting announcements and developments from the show. You can find those here.

“Since 2015, the market has exploded with drone events, making for a congested and complicated landscape for customers to choose from.  The acquisition of Drone World Expo by Diversified Communications takes two leading commercial UAS events and unites them to form the largest commercial drone event in the market. By coming together, we’ll be able to deliver more qualified buyers to vendors than if had we continued separately,  making it easier for vendors and buyers to meet in one place annually for all of their drone business.  And, with our European event and digital platform, we are making it easier for drone companies to reach markets domestic and international with a frequency and reach no one else in the market can offer.”

Both Commercial UAV Expo and Drone World Expo focus on delivering top-notch conference content and best-in-class solutions that meet the needs of large commercial end user/asset owners in top vertical markets.  Diversified’s strength delivering technology conferences in the geospatial sector gave them a major advantage and ready-audience of highly qualified potential drone users.  Drone World Expo’s partnership with the Commercial Drone Alliance gave them a powerful reach into the commercial drone industry and the support of industry leaders.  “The combination of these two unique audiences and exhibit floors into one mega event will be powerful and is just what this industry needs at this time,” said Joel Davis, CEO of JD Events, in a statement.  “The commercial drone industry is poised for explosive growth. Commercial UAV Expo, organized by Diversified Communications, has emerged as the premier event serving this dynamic marketplace.  I am excited for Drone World Expo to unite with Commercial UAV Expo to form the largest and most important annual event in North America for commercial end users of drone technology.”

Gretchen West, Senior Advisor at Hogan Lovells and Co-Executive Director of the Commercial Drone Alliance, has acted as Drone World Expo’s Advisory Board Chair and will continue to play a vital role going forward.  “Gretchen has served the unmanned systems and drone industry for over a decade and is an industry-leading advocate for commercial drones, innovation, entrepreneurship and robotics.  We are so thrilled to work with her and the Alliance to incorporate their extensive knowledge, relationships and industry expertise into Commercial UAV Expo and create value for the drone industry at this pivotal time in its growth,” said Murray.

“On behalf of the Commercial Drone Alliance, and along with my fellow co-executive director, Lisa Ellman, we are thrilled to support this merged event and will continue our focus of bringing the most relevant, timely and critical content to the Commercial UAV Expo with the most prominent decision-makers in our industry. The decision to consolidate events to become the largest and most influential commercial drone event is an important step and allows the community to focus resources on this all-inclusive conference and tradeshow to achieve greater value. We look forward to building off the huge success of the Drone World Expo through our partnership with the Commercial UAV Expo, bringing the same caliber of expert speakers, and creating the most comprehensive drone event to date,” said West.

The 2018 event will take place October 1-3 at the Westgate Resort & Casino in Las Vegas and will be organized by Diversified Communications under the leadership of Ms. Murray. Other products in the company’s technology portfolio include International LiDAR Mapping Forum, SPAR 3D Expo & Conference, SPAR 3D.com, AECNext Technology Expo & Conference and AEC Next News.