New itineraries help Airspace Managers, Drone Pilots, Project Managers, Service Providers, Surveyors, and Public Safety Professionals get the most out Commercial UAV Expo 2025

How do you describe what you do to people who have no idea what you do?

That’s a question I’ve heard surveyors, project managers, service providers and various other professionals who define the Commercial UAV Expo audience talk about for years now. Most of the time, it’s in the context of describing to their parents how the survey work they’re doing connects with George Washington’s first career. Or if they’ve ever wondered what that tripod and crew are doing in the middle of a road or an empty lot...all without ever using the word “total station.”

Others might reference the cinematographer or producer credits that appear at the beginning of a movie. I’ve also heard service providers say they tell their friends they provide “help when the professionals need help,” and I’m honestly not sure whether that kind of statement typically invites more questions or compels a change of subject.

Whether it’s friends, families or even professional acquaintances, what’s most telling about these questions and conversations is how similar all of them end up being. The behind-the-scenes job reference might be different, but they’re still describing the same sort of foundational work that defines projects of every size and type. The ways you can describe “total station” are incredibly varied, but they’re still conveying information about surveying instruments that vary in their capabilities and utility. And there are only so many different ways you can talk about how George Washington’s understanding of the terrain impacted the French and Indian War.

These are fun stories to tell, but where it gets really interesting is when those same professionals talk to other professionals who have no idea what they do. Because you might think there would be the same type of similarities, and at a broad level, sure, there are. Especially when it comes to preferences around those surveying instruments that vary in their capabilities and utility. But even those details are instructive, and they’re just the beginning of what it means to understand how many different ways individuals and teams are creating efficiencies on every level. It’s also where you can learn if they're using drones, or how they want to be leveraging the technology, or what it's meant for them to solve challenges with adoption. 

How has your team started using the technology? Oh, you still need sign-off from leadership? What do they want to know before giving the go-ahead?

Are you currently hiring drone pilots? Oh, you’re looking at bringing in a UAV service provider? Is that through known contacts or an RFP process?

Are you in touch with decision-makers at any of the regulatory bodies, municipalities or test sites? How are any of those contacts thinking about the technology?

We’ve used these types of questions to define the following itineraries that can help you navigate the 2025 Commercial UAV Expo Conference Program to best ask, answer and explore all of these specifics...

These itineraries have been designed to help you get the most out of the program, depending on your needs. As an example of what this can mean, panels and presentations on the Project Manager Itinerary are a bit more focused on insights related to how drone data can be seamlessly integrated into a company's existing workflows, while the panels and presentations on the Surveyor Itinerary are more focused on details like what it meant to determine the utility of combining aerial and terrestrial lidar with point cloud data. All of those details can be explored from a whole new perspective during one of the Drone Industry Roundtables that are directly connected to each itinerary.

While this organization of the program is new in 2025, you can still find the types of case studies, expert insight and drone project specifics that have defined this program for over ten years. They’re details that showcase where the technology and market is at in way that is specific to this year, which you can see in sessions like Navigating the Future of the Drone Industry as well as How Real-World Efficiencies are Being Enabled by Drone-in-a-Box Solutions, much less the keynotes that will open each day of the event.

However, what’s important to remember is that these itineraries are just one of the ways to navigate this programming. Anyone interested in navigating this program through established verticals like Construction or Energy & Utilities or Infrastructure & Transportation can still do so. Or you can get even more specific with topics like “BVLOS operations” or “inspections,” to name a few. The show app will also let you assemble your own itineraries that allow you to maximize your time at the event.

All of these examples were created to give attendees a better starting place on how to best navigate the program and discover drone technology applications that effectively address their unique needs. Just as professionals describe their jobs differently, attendees will each have their own way of determining the best options and opportunities within this program and the showcased solutions. And if there’s more we can do to better enable that journey, please get in touch.

We’re excited to see Commercial UAV Expo provide even more concrete examples of how drone technology has allowed teams to work in faster, cheaper and safer ways that make sense to various professionals. But also, if you’re looking for a place to get some better talking points to tell your parents about how George Washington’s experience as a surveyor has impacted the present and future of an entire country, we’ve got you covered.

Click here to register for Commercial UAV Expo