What We Can Expect from 2022’s GEO Week

Welcome back to drones in America by market scale I'm your host, grant guy, and I'm excited to be here today with Jeremy prolix, who is the group editorial director at diversified communications, as well as Carla lauder, who's an editorial analyst at diversified communications. Carla, it's your first time here, so welcome to the program. Yeah, Thanks for the invitation. Great excited to talk with you and Jeremy. Of course, it's great to work with you, and I'm glad to have you back as well. Our pleasure. So, Jeremiah, this is the first time I've had you back on the program, I believe, since commercial UAV expo. It was, by all accounts, a fantastic job. Well done. It was so great to see everyone in person. And although numbers may have been less as to what they would have been had it not been for COVID. I think we had a great turnout in the content was amazing. So congratulations to everyone diversified for a job. Well, incredibly well done. Oh, really appreciate that grant. And I mean, that was something that we really strove for was that in these uncertain times, the numbers weren't what they were going to be in the pre-covid world. But at the same time, we could still focus on quality and on cultivating the kind of relationships and conversations that allow people to understand what it means to use these technologies to make sense for their business. And that's what we were focused on and staying focused on. Well, it was interesting because I was there was a moment where I was standing on the second floor drone up, as you know, had a double, had a two story booth. So there was a point where I was standing on the top of it. And I was looking down at the floor. And, you know, we talk about the numbers and how they were lower than otherwise would have been because of COVID. But in that moment, I was looking around just it's the first time in two years I had seen so many well-known faces and names in the industry, as well as new faces and names, and we really had a great turnout. It was Las Vegas is always a great time, but I feel like diversified did a fantastic job and we're going to launch into some other discussions in a moment. But just real quick, I do want to ask if you can give us a little preview of what we can expect in 2022 for commercial UAV expo in terms of the content program that we're putting together for the event. I mean, we really want to build on the foundation that we laid for that. I mean, really over the past five, six years, but even last year, there was some, some very kind of in-depth and detailed discussions about what it actually means to use the technology and what it means to create value. And that's something we were really focused on for this year and really exploring that. And showcasing to the audience how they can take some of those that kind of understanding about where the technology makes sense and use it in their business. Well, and you know, another thing, of course, we can expect the content to be great. It always is. And I find that with commercial UAV x, but it always builds on itself. And every year the participants learn new ways they can add value to their businesses through this technology. But I have to say, you know, every year I tell my wife, OK, you're taking off work for the week and it just never works out. I'll always come in solo. I said, OK, this year it's at Caesars. You're taking off work and we're going, how exciting is it to have it at Caesars form this year? I'm really excited about it. I mean, being able to be in the hub of Las Vegas, as you mentioned, I mean, Las Vegas is a destination city, and for the most part, the audience is always, always up to be there. But being able to just walk out of that hotel and being in the middle of the strip, that's appealing for multiple reasons. It is, and I love. That's probably my favorite place in all of Vegas, so I'm really excited about that. This year. Now, Carla, welcome again to the program. I want to talk a little bit about. It's exciting to see you here. I've heard nothing but great things about you and your contributions thus far to the industry. Tell me a little bit about yourself and how you became involved in the drone industry. Sure so I'm an editorial analyst of Geo, which kind of encompasses these three shows that we're bringing together, which is the International leader mapping forum spa 3d, which is focused on 3D and reality capture tech. And then you see next, which is kind of focused on the architecture, engineering and construction space. So there are aerial aerial lidar and aerial surveying and UAV surveying and mapping and inspecting applications across all three of those verticals as they come together. So we're really kind of excited to weave those together and find out more ways that people can utilize UAS to get done what they really need to do across these industries. So my background is before I joined diversified, I was doing kind of education and design work for Nasa. So we were doing Earth science applications, a lot of remote sensing work with oceanography and. Things of that nature, but in general, one of the things I'm passionate about is just trying to figure out how to showcase how people are solving problems with technology. And there's just so many wonderful use cases in all of these industries and across the UAV industry that I'm super excited to kind of bring together both in the conference content and in the kind of content that we produce digitally for the site and grant the origin of commercial UAV expo is really with spa because by six, seven years ago, now are the old. The show director Lisa Marie kind of identified that, hey, there's this technology that's part of this event. That's really that's really blowing up, and there's a lot more here and that became commercial UAV expo. So I mean, drones are very much part of the current event. Well, and I wanted to add before we started today, I looked at the lineup and what was so great to see Jeremiah. And this may sound awful, but to me, it was a bunch of names that I have not necessarily that hadn't heard of before, but just that I'm not used to seeing speak at conferences. These are really largely voices. I feel like the majority of our industry will benefit from hearing from simply by virtue of the fact that they know more about this niche area and we don't hear the same people. It's not the same people who talk all the time at every single conference. And don't get me wrong, we all get value out of those people as well. But what is truly neat about GIO week is that these are people who largely have not played huge roles at those mainstream drone conferences. What a treat it will be to hear from these people and to learn about their expertise, and it's always great to broaden and hear from different viewpoints, so I was really excited to see the lineup. Yeah, I think there's I know there's a lot, a lot of folks that are going to be new to kind of the drone industry. But at the same time, there are some of those familiar faces is where as well on the exhibit floor, you've got companies like DJI, Emerson, micro drones, Trimble wing terra and then the conference program. Carla can tell you a little bit more about some of the speakers that we have lined up, but I think what's really exciting about GIO week is that there's a bit more of a kind of technical focus in terms of the conference content. These these are some sessions where they really get into some technical detail that isn't always, always part of uav, and that's a real differentiator for the event. And just to add to that to one of our, you know, kind of going in propositions and strategies and building this conference program content was to find those people who are on the ground doing this work, who have case studies that really demonstrate how this work is being done rather than kind of having somebody up there, you know, saying, this is my technology, you should use it. You know, this is the we had these problems. This is how we solved them. This is the challenges that we had, and this is how we would do it differently next time. Those types of real practical kind of the insights, I think, are key to kind of what makes up that program. And I think that is why you're seeing a lot of new faces on there because we've really tried to find people who are innovators in how they're changing their workflows, but also just out there doing the real work instead of it being in a theoretical space and having people who have the boots on the ground who actually are firsthand handling this technology and experiencing this technology are the best people to show us its benefits and why we should consider adopting it. And I think it is as someone who attends conferences regularly, I find it inspiring to see names that you don't necessarily see. Like Jeremiah mentioned, there are some familiar names on there, for sure. There always will be, but it looks like you guys have really succeeded at finding people who know this technology, who have the boots on the ground and who are passionate about it. And I think that's what makes a great conference is when you go there and you learn new things from people who you don't necessarily hear from every single day, but they know their craft, they're passionate about it, and they're passionate about using it for humanity, not just humanitarian purposes, but for commercial purposes as well to help people succeed economically. So I really, you know, kudos to again to the team at diversified for putting together to the conference. I think it's going to be really exciting. Yeah and I think it goes back to something that we hear in the drone space a lot is that it's not about the drone, it's the it's the data. And it's not about the drones being this end all solution that's going to solve all of your problems. I mean, ultimately, a drone is a tool that is an ideal tool to use in some circumstances and some not. And I think it a week there's a real understanding of how drones can fit into an ecosystem to be utilized in certain cases and a different tech. In others. I mean, I know that's something that's come up in a lot of the use cases that you've been working on for the program. Yeah, absolutely. I think we're moving away too from, you know, kind of a one tool fits all solution. We're seeing people putting together workflows that really are better fit for the projects they're doing instead of trying to find that one perfect device that's going to do everything for them and UVs are definitely becoming a part of those workflows because they're getting easier to use. The barrier to entry for adding them to existing workflows is lowering. And so we really want to kind of showcase the ways that they can be integrated into what people are already doing or just to be applied to New areas where they haven't been applied before. And we have some really unique case studies that are kind of a part of the conference program that we'd love to share with folks. Well, now, Carla, tell me a little bit about trends that you're noticing is standing out. And you know, it does sound like this conference is going to have more of a focus on the technical aspect, which does differentiate it. And that's something important that eyes and ears in the industry should be looking and listening to tell me what trends you are noticing in how we are seeing, you know, leader and the other types of uses that will be addressed at go. How are we? What trends are we seeing for that. When it comes to drone use? Sure I think one of the big ones is that, you know, if you had asked me that question about two or three years ago, we'd be talking about, I want to find new ways to collect data. I don't know how to collect this particular data or how to inspect this particular asset. I don't know how. I don't know. I don't have a tool to do that. We've moved to the point where there are now tools people have figured out, you know, kind of helping each other figure out what is the best tool for my job. But now we're really transitioning into a trend where, OK, so now we have a lot of data. What do we do with it? So we are kind of finding ways where UAV data is now being UAV survey data, you have a light or data is being able to be integrated with other types of data. So for example, meshing what's collected by drone versus what maybe walked around a site or where other types of measurement or even going up the scale to geospatial remote sensor data, you know, kind of bringing those together. And in general, we're just seeing this convergence of bringing these tools together to really get at more actionable information more quickly. And that's happening through a combination of better software and better processing because we've got a lot of cloud capabilities and advanced AI kind of getting in there and processing that data. So that doesn't become the bottleneck. And there's just a lot of ways in which UAV development has paved the way for this to be what we're talking about now. And now we're talking about what to do with the data, not wow, it's really difficult to go get it. And I think that that's a big theme and a big trend that we're seeing, especially in terms of integrating the data that has been collected into a system where decisions can be made or it can be shared with stakeholders, or it can be visualized by a project team or everybody can get on the same page. And Carlo, this goes back to something that Jeremiah stated earlier, and this is something that I've noticed diversified really focuses on in the content that it puts out and prepares. It truly is all about the data and how that data can be utilized to improve operations within, you know, various commercial enterprises. But the data truly is what this is all about. So the conference remind me again, the date is February 6th through the 8th. Is that right? Yeah yep, it's February 6 38th and Denver, Colorado, at the Denver convention center. We're super excited to be in the convention center and back in Denver as well. And we're really, really looking forward to it. And what kind of, you know, have you seen any what kind of turnout can we expect at this conference? I know we're still in a time where COVID is impairing conference numbers, but are you encouraged by the turnout you've received thus far? I mean, we're very encouraged by the registrations that we've received and just by the enthusiasm, especially from the vendors and exhibitors as well. We have a sold out conference floor. We're very kind of confident in that and that we're very excited that people are passionate about being there. And just anecdotally in the conferences that I have attended in person, including a larger event that diversified puts on called work vote that happened in Louisiana. The folks that do come are the most engaged and the ones that are really these high quality interactions that networking is great. The speakers are really getting involved in talking to people. The vendors are having great productive conversations. So we're, you know, in a pandemic environment, you know, nothing is 100% predictable, but we're really enthusiastic about the response for what we've put together and also just for future years, how this is going to evolve into something even bigger. And that's and that's the thing, grant. I mean, I've seen the headlines as well. I mean, with CES and they're in the pre-covid world, that was an event where 180,000 people were there. This year it was 45,000. And so all the stories were about. They lost over 50% of attendees for this event, but you know what, with those headlines and those stories don't dig into is that for the exhibitors that were there or that 45,000 people those the right people or those are the right conversations. And since they're the ones who came out and supported that, I believe they were. So, you know, that's something else that's happening in the trade show industry is that it's not so much. Let's stop focusing on the quantity and focus on the quality. And you know, that can be difficult when a lot of you know, a lot of folks are just interested in numbers. But I mean, that goes back to something we're trying to do with the conference program itself, like, we want to cultivate these kind of conversations so that it continues after the event. And we could have the most amazing lineup of speakers up on that stage. But if the audience isn't able to have a take away from that they either use as part of their business the next Monday or make a connection with somebody there, then what did they really get out of that event? So that's, you know, that kind of quality is something that is top of mind for us. I think quality over quantity is the key. Every single time. And I think for trade shows and conferences, it's no exception. I think that these events will find a way to evolve. But regardless, I mean, I don't think you could have. I mean, there's nothing I think that I would say could have made commercial UAV expo better this past year. I mean, you can look at the numbers and you can say if only it hadn't been for covid, but because of COVID. Opportunities were also undertaken by various people in the industry. It did help foster innovation. And so I think with every negative event, there's a positive, with every positive, there's a negative, and it's just the issue of really focusing on the content. And again, that's something that diversified excels at. So speaking of content, Carla, I wanted to ask about the content at. One of the topics that come up is what's the future of aerial lidar? Can you talk a little bit about that? Sure so we actually have had a session with that name for the past two years as part of the IMF conference, and we actually, when we postponed, initially made that into a webinar as well because this is on the top of everybody's mind, right? We've seen this big evolution in lidar technology and the sensors themselves, but also in the ways in which they can be delivered, as you know, as a payload on UAV and fixed wing aircraft and everything in between. And so we wanted it definitely to put together a panel where we could really discuss what the trends are, what types of things might be theoretical, which might be actually practical, something that people can use tomorrow, like Jeremiah said on Monday. And I think that this session in particular, what's the future of aerial lidar is going to be a really interesting discussion because we've got folks from regal, Teledyne and hexagon kind of talking from their perspective as to what they're doing and who they're trying to serve for their customers, but also which direction they're hoping to find new solutions for. They want to hear from the audience as well. They want to know what is it that's on the horizon and you know how people are using this technology. And I think that and that, you know, is kind of one of our panels that is set up in that way where we're having really a discussion. It's not necessarily a series of, you know, presentations or demonstrations. It's talking about where that direction is going. And I think that those conversations are opportunities that people don't have the opportunity to partake in very often. You know, you can have us write as many articles as you want about what trends there are. But when you actually hear it from the folks that are either on the ground or that are kind of really driving the business directions of some of these companies, I think that's very powerful. I agree. I agree. And what excites me about this is, again, aside from the fact that we are getting to hear from people that we don't necessarily hear from all the time, it. If you look at the website for a week, it very much is in line with the same quality that diversified puts out for two other conferences. So I have no doubt it's going to be a success, and I'm thankful to you guys for putting it forward. I do think the technical aspects of drone use, and especially as it's plotted these use cases, I think that that's something that is important and sometimes it can get overlooked among the more flashier, mainstream non-technical aspects of drone use. So again, I think it's fantastic. So I want to thank both of you for being on the program today. Jio week is February 6 or 8 and company you said Denver, right, carlos? Yes, Denver. Yep and I think that it's something everyone should check out, so I certainly look forward to checking it out. Thank both of you for being here, Jeremy. As always, it's great speaking with you, Carla. It's great getting to meet you. And I forward to doing some work with you in the industry. And I hope both you. Have a great day. All right, thank you so much for the invitation. Thanks, grant. Great to talk to you. Absolutely please be sure to join us next time for the next episode of drones in America by market scale.