9 Best Drone Industry Conferences for 2026 and 2027
The best drone industry conferences for the next year are Commercial UAV Expo (Las Vegas, September 2027), AUVSI’s XPONENTIAL (Miami Beach, May 2027) and XPONENTIAL Europe (Düsseldorf, March 2027). For narrower goals, the Drone & AAM Policy Symposium covers regulation, the Energy Drone & Robotics Summit covers industrial inspection, and Geo Week covers mapping and lidar.
We checked every date and venue against the organizer’s site or announcement on September 22, 2026. Several fall 2026 shows (Commercial UAV Expo on September 1 to 3 and INTERGEO in Munich on September 15 to 17) have already happened, so we list their next editions where they are announced. Where an organizer has not set a date, we say so.
How we chose
Quick comparison
| Event | Location | Best for | Notable |
|---|---|---|---|
| Drone & AAM Policy Symposium | Washington, DC | Regulation and policy | November 9 to 10, 2026 |
| Geo Week | Salt Lake City, UT | Mapping, lidar, survey | February 23 to 25, 2027 |
| XPONENTIAL Europe | Düsseldorf, Germany | European market, defense, robotics | March 16 to 18, 2027 |
| SOF Week | Tampa, FL | Special operations buyers | May 3 to 6, 2027 |
| XPONENTIAL | Miami Beach, FL | All uncrewed systems | May 17 to 20, 2027 |
| Japan Drone | Japan (venue to be confirmed) | Asia-Pacific market | June 2 to 4, 2027 |
| Energy Drone & Robotics Summit | The Woodlands, TX | Energy and industrial inspection | June 21 to 23, 2027 |
| Commercial UAV Expo | Las Vegas, NV | Commercial operators and buyers | September 7 to 9, 2027 |
| Amsterdam Drone Week | Amsterdam, Netherlands | European UTM and urban air mobility | No 2027 date; now at Intertraffic 2028 |
Commercial UAV Expo
Best for: commercial drone operators, program managers and enterprise buyers.
Commercial UAV Expo, presented by Commercial UAV News, is a trade show and conference focused on the integration and operation of commercial drones in selected industry markets. The 2026 edition ran September 1 to 3 at Caesars Forum in Las Vegas. The organizer lists the next edition for September 7 to 9, 2027 at the same venue. It is the best single event for comparing enterprise aircraft, payloads and software side by side with the people who fly them.
XPONENTIAL
Best for: anyone working across air, ground and maritime uncrewed systems.
XPONENTIAL is the annual show of AUVSI, the Association for Uncrewed Vehicle Systems International. It covers drones, ground robots, maritime systems and autonomy software for commercial and defense markets. The 2026 edition was in Detroit. XPONENTIAL 2027 runs May 17 to 20, 2027 at the Miami Beach Convention Center, with education sessions on May 18 to 20. AUVSI says the 2026 show added more than 25,000 square feet of defense-focused programming and exhibits, so expect defense buyers alongside commercial ones.
XPONENTIAL Europe
Best for: companies selling into European defense, civil protection and industry.
XPONENTIAL Europe is organized by Messe Düsseldorf with AUVSI and covers autonomy across air, land, sea and space. Its program includes a conference, a start-up zone and live demonstrations. The organizer reports that the 2026 edition drew 360 exhibitors from 43 countries. The 2027 edition returns to Düsseldorf, Germany, from March 16 to 18, 2027 with an added exhibition hall. It is a practical way for U.S. firms to meet European buyers and partners in one place.
Energy Drone & Robotics Summit
Best for: oil and gas, utility and industrial inspection teams.
Run by the Energy Drone & Robotics Coalition, this summit focuses on drones, ground robots, 3D geospatial data and analytics for energy and industrial sites. The 2027 edition, its 11th, is set for June 21 to 23, 2027 at The Woodlands Waterway Marriott Hotel & Convention Center in the Houston area. It is part of InnovateEnergy Week, which combines three industry conferences under one roof: this summit, the Industrial Digital Reality Summit and the Industrial AI Nexus Summit.
Drone & AAM Policy Symposium
Best for: policy, compliance and government affairs staff.
This event carries on the FAA Drone Symposium, which the FAA and AUVSI co-hosted for years and combined with advanced air mobility in 2024. AUVSI now runs it as the Drone & AAM Policy Symposium. The 2026 edition is set for November 9 to 10 at Nationals Park in Washington, DC, with live drone delivery demonstrations on site. AUVSI lists the FAA among invited agencies. Topics include FAA reauthorization, secure supply chains and the FCC Covered List. A 2027 date has not been announced.
Geo Week
Best for: surveyors, mapping teams and lidar users.
Geo Week brings together geospatial, survey, lidar, BIM and reality capture professionals, which makes it the best fit on this list for drone mapping. The 2027 edition runs February 23 to 25, 2027 at the Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. The organizer reports more than 225 exhibitors and about 3,500 attendees. Drone mapping hardware and processing software sit alongside terrestrial and mobile scanners, so you can compare capture methods in one hall.
SOF Week
Best for: suppliers to U.S. and allied special operations forces.
SOF Week is co-hosted by the Global SOF Foundation and U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM). It is a broad special operations event rather than a drone-only show, which makes it a place to meet defense end users rather than general commercial buyers. SOF Week 2027 runs May 3 to 6, 2027 in Tampa, Florida, with exhibits open May 4 to 6. It is most useful for companies with products already aimed at defense users.
Japan Drone
Best for: companies exploring the Japanese and wider Asia-Pacific market.
Japan Drone is organized by JUIDA, the Japan UAS Industrial Development Association, and covers commercial drones and advanced air mobility. The 2026 edition ran June 3 to 5 at Makuhari Messe near Tokyo. JUIDA says the 2027 edition is scheduled for June 2 to 4, 2027. Its announcement did not confirm the venue, so check before booking travel. The show is a good way for U.S. suppliers to meet Japanese integrators, operators and regulators in one visit.
Amsterdam Drone Week
Best for: teams working on European airspace integration and urban air mobility.
Amsterdam Drone Week has been a European event on drone airspace integration and urban air mobility. No standalone 2027 edition has been announced. The ADW website now points to Intertraffic Amsterdam, which runs March 7 to 10, 2028 at RAI Amsterdam and includes drone programming such as a Dutch-language drone day. If you want a European drone event in 2027, XPONENTIAL Europe in March is the confirmed option, and you can watch for ADW updates before planning further.
Common questions
What is the biggest drone conference in the U.S.?
Commercial UAV Expo and AUVSI’s XPONENTIAL are the two best-known U.S. drone-focused shows. Commercial UAV Expo centers on commercial operators and industry uses. XPONENTIAL covers all uncrewed systems, including ground and maritime, with a larger defense and policy presence. Pick based on whether your buyers are commercial or government.
When is Commercial UAV Expo 2027?
The organizer lists Commercial UAV Expo 2027 for September 7 to 9, 2027 at Caesars Forum in Las Vegas. The 2026 edition took place September 1 to 3, 2026 at the same venue. Check the organizer’s site for registration and program details as the date approaches.
Which drone conference is best for mapping and lidar?
Geo Week, February 23 to 25, 2027 at the Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City, is the strongest choice for mapping, survey and lidar. It brings drone mapping together with terrestrial and mobile scanning, BIM and geospatial software, so teams can compare capture methods in one trip.
Is there still an FAA Drone Symposium?
The FAA co-hosted the FAA Drone and AAM Symposium with AUVSI through 2024. AUVSI now runs the Drone & AAM Policy Symposium, set for November 9 to 10, 2026 at Nationals Park in Washington, DC, with the FAA listed among invited agencies.
Plan your meetings early
Most of these shows are more useful for scheduled meetings than for walking the floor, so set up conversations with suppliers and partners before you go. If you are evaluating development and manufacturing partners, Aerora’s ODM services outline one approach, and our lists of drone design and manufacturing companies in Silicon Valley and UAV contract manufacturers for U.S. drone OEMs can help you build a shortlist.
Sources (15)
- https://www.expouav.com/
- https://www.expouav.com/about/
- https://www.unmannedsystemstechnology.com/events/commercial-uav-expo/
- https://xponential.org/
- https://www.xponential-europe.com/
- https://www.edrcoalition.com/2027-energy-drone-robotics-summit
- https://www.auvsi.org/events/drone-aam-policy-symposium/
- https://www.faa.gov/newsroom/mark-your-calendar-2024-faa-drone-and-advanced-air-mobility-symposium
- https://insideunmannedsystems.com/faa-drone-aam-symposium-preview/
- https://www.geo-week.com/
- https://sofweek.org/
- https://uas-japan.org/information/39911/
- https://www.adwworld.com/en/visit
- https://www.intertraffic.com/amsterdam
- https://www.unmannedsystemstechnology.com/events/intergeo/
Ready to build what’s next?
Whether you’re developing autonomous aircraft, robotics, intelligent sensing systems or connected platforms, Aerora can help bring your vision to life.
Submit a design inquiry