More than 3,700 professionals from all 50 states and around the world will gather at Caesars Forum September 1-3 as new tariffs, an FCC Covered List overhaul, and a pending Part 108 rule reshape the industry.
Las Vegas, NV, USA — August 25, 2026 — Commercial UAV Expo, the world’s leading commercial drone trade show and conference, opens next Tuesday at Caesars Forum in Las Vegas at one of the most consequential moments the U.S. commercial drone industry has faced in years. More than 3,700 industry professionals from all 50 U.S. states and countries around the world, along with 240+ exhibitors, will convene September 1-3 as regulations are being rewritten and reacted to in real time.
The past twelve months have delivered a rapid succession of policy shifts touching nearly every professional working with commercial drones in the U.S. The FAA’s Part 108 Notice of Proposed Rulemaking closed its initial comment period with roughly 3,100 responses, followed by a reopened window earlier this year on the rule’s most contested provisions. The FCC added foreign-produced UAS and critical components to its Covered List on December 22, 2025, reshaping fleet procurement decisions across the industry. New Section 232 tariffs on drone imports of up to 100 percent take effect September 3, the final day of Commercial UAV Expo. Attendees will be in the room with the regulatory bodies writing the rules and the operators, program managers, and manufacturers working through what those rules mean in practice.
“Right now, commercial drone operators are facing tough decisions about fleets, staffing, training, and business models, all while the rules that will regulate those decisions are still being written. Commercial UAV Expo exists to close that gap,” said Adrianne Madden, Event Director, Commercial UAV Expo. “By bringing the regulators to the stage, gathering the brightest minds in the field, and giving everyone direct access to the manufacturers and software providers building the tech, we give the industry what it needs most right now: clarity.”
Regulators on stage all three days
Senior officials from the Federal Aviation Administration and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) will address Commercial UAV Expo attendees across all three days, alongside sessions on Part 108, Part 146, NDAA compliance, the FCC Covered List, and beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) operations.
Tuesday, September 1 opens with “What the FCC’s Covered List Decision Means for Commercial Drone Operators,” a 9:00 AM panel featuring DroneDeploy SVP Ben Hance and Texas Drone Company founder Jared Janacek working through what the December 2025 Covered List action means for commercial fleet decisions.
Wednesday, September 2 brings the FAA directly into conversation with the industry. “Preparing for the Next Era of Advanced Aviation Technologies,” a fireside chat with FAA Executive Director of the Office of Advanced Aviation Technologies Jessica Jones and Associate Administrator for Security and Hazardous Materials Safety Ben Supko, will examine how the National Airspace System is being adapted to support new operations. Also Wednesday: “Turning Part 108 & 146 into Real-World Commercial Operations,” moderated by Commercial UAV News Content Manager Matt Collins; “Cutting Through the Legalese: What Drone Operators Need to Know About NDAA Compliance and Beyond,” moderated by P3 Tech Consulting CEO Dawn Zoldi; and “Flying BVLOS in the New Regulatory Era: Making UTM Work in the Real World,” moderated by AirWise Solutions EVP Nathan Ruff with panelists from Amazon Prime Air, AirWise Solutions, and the Tulsa Fire Department.
Thursday, September 3 closes the event with two direct-from-the-FAA sessions. “Inside the FAA’s Emerging Technologies Division” gives attendees a rare conversation with the team shaping how new operations get approved. The closing keynote, “Two Skies, One Conversation: Comparing FAA and EASA Approaches to BVLOS Drone Operations,” brings FAA Flight Standards Service Acting Deputy Director, Office of Safety Standards Robert Reckert together with EASA Certification Directorate Head of Innovative Air Mobility Daan Dousi, moderated by Avtrain CEO and JARUS ISB Vice-Chair Julie Garland.
Full speaker bios and session details are available at expouav.com/speakers/.
Registration
Registration is open at www.expouav.com.
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About Commercial UAV Expo
Commercial UAV Expo, presented by Commercial UAV News, is an international conference and expo exclusively focused on commercial UAS integration and operation. The event will take place September 1-3, 2026, at Caesars Forum in Las Vegas, NV. For more information, visit www.expouav.com.
Commercial UAV Expo is produced by Diversified’s technology portfolio, which also includes Commercial UAV News, Geo Week, Geo Week News, Geo Business (UK), and Digital Construction Week (UK).
For more information about exhibiting at Commercial UAV Expo, visit the exhibitor information page or contact Carmella Perrone, Sales Manager, at [email protected] or +1-207-842-5646. For information on attending, visit www.expouav.com or email [email protected].
For the Press
Commercial UAV Expo invites working media professionals to register for a complimentary press badge. If you are a freelance writer on assignment, staff writer, editor, reporter, photographer, or producer, you qualify for a Commercial UAV Expo Press Badge. Register here.
For interview requests and media inquiries, contact:
Jason Lavigne
Marketing Manager, Commercial UAV Expo