Let’s be honest and accept the fact that the city of Miami, in the southern part of Florida, in the United States, is the unofficial capital of Latin America. There are more daily flights from each capital in the region to Miami than between any of these countries themselves. This means, by definition, that it is easier to fly to Miami than to any other city on the continent.

Perhaps this is the explanation for why drone events held in the region only attract people from that country and only a few brave souls venture from other countries. This has resulted in the fact that until now, no Pan-American event has been established that brings together all the companies and experts who speak Spanish and Portuguese every year in one city.

During the first twelve years of the unmanned aviation industry, if we consider 2012 as the first year of this novel way of flying, I have seen how events have consolidated in the USA and have become pillars of information exchange between manufacturers, contractors, clients, universities, and the regulator.

However, none of these events have attracted companies and people from the Latin American region in significant and regular quantities. The cities where these events are held are usually in the north and west of the USA, which makes them expensive and always require one or two plane connections to reach. Imagine making this journey carrying drones and everything required for a stand at these events.

That is why a group of investors from the region approached me earlier this year with an extraordinary idea: to launch a commercial and industrial drone event in Miami. At first the proposal seemed very risky, so I decided to consult with the two major entities in the USA that hold non-military drone events and what they told me convinced me that the idea of a drone event in Miami is solid.

It turns out that these two large annual events in the USA are not interested in the Latin American market and their expansion efforts are directed towards Asia and Europe. This leaves the Latin American continent without an important event that brings together the different actors in the region such as their manufacturers, users, and civil aviation regulatory agencies in the different countries.

That is why I decided to join the Miami Drone Expo initiative (www.miamidroneexpo.com) of a group of investors from the region, including Rubén Contreras Pareja from RCP Engineers in Peru (www.rcpingenieros.com.pe), who also leads important aviation companies such as AVSS Flight Center and GeoDrone Survey Rental.

Rubén and I also co-edit the annual magazine Geodrone Pilot, of which we have already published three editions and are working on the fourth.

For all the above reasons, I have no doubt that the first edition of Miami Drone Expo, which will be held at the Airport Convention Center in this city, on June 21 and 22, 2025, will be a complete success and the solid foundation of an event that will be repeated every year and attract suppliers and companies that need their services, not only from the USA but from the entire region south of the Rio Grande.