Trade Show North AmericaUpcoming

Commercial UAV Expo

Diversified Communications' commercial drone-operator trade show. Three days in Las Vegas bringing UAS operators, drone manufacturers, sensor and software vendors, and the regulatory community together — narrower and more operator-focused than XPONENTIAL.

September 1–3, 2026Caesars Forum, Las Vegas, United States~3,500 attendees

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What to expect

Commercial UAV Expo is purpose-built for the commercial drone operator. Where XPONENTIAL covers the wider AAM, defence autonomy, and counter-UAS spectrum, CUAV Expo zooms in on the commercial-operator economics: drones for energy / utilities inspection, construction and surveying, agriculture, public safety, mapping and photogrammetry, and increasingly heavier-payload commercial logistics. Programming covers Part 107 strategy, BVLOS waivers, Remote ID compliance, fleet management at scale, and operator-specific business model sessions. The exhibit floor is dominated by the platform manufacturers (DJI, Autel, Skydio, Wingtra, senseFly), sensor and payload providers, drone software (mission planning, asset management, data processing), training and certification providers, and the insurance-and-finance side of commercial drone operations. For pilot training schools building a UAS curriculum, this is the most efficient single event to evaluate platforms, training partnerships, and software tooling.

Quick facts

Dates

September 1–3, 2026

Location

Caesars Forum
Las Vegas, United States

Estimated attendance

~3,500

Exhibitors

~200

Registration

from USD 295 expo pass; full-conference passes available

Languages

Regulatory focus

FAA

Also known as

Commercial UAV Expo, CUAV Expo, Commercial UAV Expo Americas, Commercial UAV Expo 2026

Who attends

Commercial drone operators across utilities, construction, surveying, agriculture, public safety, and mapping, drone manufacturers, sensor and software vendors, Part 107 training providers, BVLOS waiver consultants, insurance providers serving commercial drone operations, and a meaningful contingent of flight schools building UAS training programmes.

Why flight schools attend

Direct fit applies to schools building UAS training programmes — either as a standalone Part 107 / commercial drone training offering or as part of a broader collegiate or workforce-pipeline programme. The platform, software, and training-partnership decisions are more efficiently made here than via individual vendor calls. Schools focused purely on traditional crewed pilot training without a UAS programme typically find better fit at WATS or NTAS.

Frequently Asked Questions

Commercial UAV Expo is narrower and more operator-focused — commercial drone economics across utilities, construction, surveying, agriculture, public safety. XPONENTIAL is broader, covering AAM/eVTOL, defence autonomy, counter-UAS, and the wider industry-policy environment. Operators serving multiple segments attend both; flight schools building UAS curriculum usually find CUAV Expo more directly relevant.

Yes — it's the most efficient single event to evaluate platforms, training partnerships, software tooling, and BVLOS waiver consultants. The vendor density and the operator-network density both pay off in a single trip. Schools without a UAS programme in flight typically find more direct value at WATS or NTAS.

Commercial UAV Expo has been held annually in Las Vegas since 2015, typically at Caesars Forum or the Paris Las Vegas in early September. Confirmed dates and registration are published via expouav.com.

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