The coronavirus pandemic has affected businesses across the board. And the conferencing industry seems to be taking all the hits. Most event organizers have already postponed or cancelled drone conferences in 2020, but the innovative ones have gone virtual.

Here is a breakdown of how major drone events are adapting to the pandemic.

FAA UAS Symposium 2020

Original date: June 16 to 18, 2020

Venue: Baltimore Convention Center, Maryland, USA

New Plan: Online conference scheduled for July 8 to 9 and August 18 to 19, 2020

The FAA UAS Symposium was designed to put the government and industry representatives in one room. Speakers were to discuss things such as regulations, research, and initiatives in and around the UAV space.

The initial plan was to have an in-person conference, but coronavirus happened. Now people have to settle for a virtual event this year. Still, you might want to wait and see if this trend extends to 2021 and beyond.

Interdrone 2020

Original Date: August 18 to 20, 2020

Venue: Hyatt Regency in Texas, USA

New plan: Postponed to December 15 to 17, 2020

Interdrone boasts of being one of the biggest drone conventions in the world. So big that they would never consider taking things online. They would rather postpone the event and hope for the best.

It’s unclear if the scheduled guest speakers will still show up on the December dates. There’s also uncertainty hanging over the women and drones awards. However, the organizers have time to figure things out as the Covid-19 curve flattens.

DJI Air Works

Original Date: August 25 to 27, 2020

Venue: Westin Bonaventure in Los Angeles, California, USA

New plan: A virtual conference scheduled for August 25 to 28, 2020

DJI’s conference is going 100% virtual this year. And that’s a good thing. Tickets to the first event were selling at $749, and the virtual event pass will cost only $35 to $99.

But that’s not the best part.

You don’t have to show up for the live event to enjoy the benefits. They will record the whole thing and make it available for ticket holders until the next one goes live. In all honesty, that is one of the best responses the industry has seen so far.

The Final Thoughts

Here’s the thing.

Nobody saw the coronavirus pandemic coming. But some of the drone events have responded better than others. Even so, we must admit that virtual conferences are a welcome addition to the conferencing industry. Anyone can attend, regardless of their location.