If you work or are interested in the world of commercial and enterprise drones, chances are you have heard about AUVSI and their annual Xponential Trade Show. This year’s Xponential took place in Houston, Texas and was hosted by the aerial cowboys from the Lone Star Chapter of AUVSI. While the show itself came and went as it always does without any major hitches (that we could see from the outside-looking-in), there was a murmur of discussion amongst attendees and exhibitors that raises concerns around the health of AUVSI and its flagship tradeshow event:
“There’s almost nobody here.”
While there has been no empirical data released to verify or debunk the validity of that broad observation, as an attendee for the past 3 Xponentials, I have to say it seemed valid. The halls of the George Brown Convention Center appeared to be less populated, even during the peak of the show — mid-afternoon of day two. If one were to venture into the heart of the show’s exhibition floor, they would find booths seemingly piled on top of one another in what I can only assume was an effort to give the exhibition floor a more “jam-packed” feeling. However, when one took the time to work out towards the edges, they would find what was once a packed-to-the-gills affair had now afforded plenty of breathing room and empty space around the outside of its epicenter.
It did not feel like (arguably) one of the two biggest industry events of the year, not by a long-shot. While some may wonder “why,” others may already have the inkling as to what happened to the attendance for Xponential 2025. Allow me to share with you these speculative inklings as well as my own observations and takes on what is going on with AUVSI and its flagship event.
AUVSI’s Hardline Stance Against Chinese Technology
If you have been paying attention to the landscape of the drone industry for the last 5 years, it’s no mystery that a choice few entities have taken up against the inclusion of Chinese technology within the industry — namely DJI (which is hilarious considering at least one AUVSI member was running around the show filming and photographing the event with a DJI Pocket 3…). AUVSI has been at the forefront of those efforts to ban Chinese technology within the United States and much of the western world. Between closed-door lobbying efforts and propagandizing their newsletters, educational seminars, and other industry events, AUVSI has gained a lot of ground and has been empowered to be more brazen with their stances.
In the last two years, examples of this growing brazenness have reared their ugly heads.
In 2024, the exclusion of DJI from Xponential in San Diego left many attendees disappointed at the lost opportunity to speak directly with DJI employees and see the new technology available to them from the drone giant. It also set an apparent precedent that not only did AUVSI not endorse or support DJI and Chinese drone technology companies, but that they would actively work against DJI when given the opportunity.
This year, AUVSI CEO Michael Robbins was quoted in a keynote presentation with saying:
“Some of you may choose not to hear this. But it needs to be said. Too many in this industry are staying silent, turning a blind eye, or – more troubling – aligning with technologies developed by our adversaries rather than supporting innovation within democratic nations.
To those making that choice, understand that the industry is moving on. The future belongs to those who stand for responsible innovation, strategic alignment, and national security. Those who do not will find themselves increasingly irrelevant. There is no ambiguity here. Relying on adversarial nations for critical resources and technologies is not just short-sighted, it is dangerous. Dangerous both to national security and to your organizations.”
According to those present, when this statement was made, the air was immediately sucked out of the room with the only relief from the awkward silence a few positive reactions from AUVSI supporters. While this may not seem shocking given AUVSI’s recent track record regarding its stance on DJI and Chinese drone technology in general, I was stunned at the sudden vein of courage Robbins had tapped into compared to statements made when confronted in 2024 about AUVSI’s stance on banning Chinese technology.
While I cannot cite a specific quote, I did have the privilege to sit in on a conversation between Robbins and Droning Company CEO, Stuart Smith, wherein Smith confronted Robbins about AUVSI working to push DJI out of the US market. In that confrontation, Robbins insisted that AUVSI was not working to ban DJI and Chinese technology from use on US-soil and went as far as to say they had no interest in pursuing that avenue.
All things equal, it is possible that somebody’s outlook changes over the course of a year. I believe a healthy way of thinking and living is being open to new information and, only after verifying the validity of that new information, being able to change your opinions and beliefs based upon that new information. That said, when we look back at AUVSI’s actions within the industry, their primary partnerships, and who they have running the show in each of their respective chapters, I don’t think an enlightened perspective is the case here — this is where they have stood all along, they are just now choosing to be more bold about speaking out on their position.
It is my believe that in that 2024 conversation with Stuart Smith, Michael Robbins tucked his tail and lied to avoid potentially poisoning AUVSI’s reputation with the larger whole of the drone industry by divulging an unpopular position with a company dedicated to publishing news and information about the drone industry for drone pilots. Again, that is my belief and I do not speak for Michael Robbins or anyone at AUVSI, but the evidence points to underhanded play and getting into bed with companies who prioritize revenue and shareholder interests over growing the industry for everyone and being competitive in the global market.
A Misidentification of the Xponential Trade Show
While I do not want to take the focus off of the controversy that AUVSI seems to love to stir up, I believe there is another reason the show experienced low attendance this year compared to years past. When I first attended Xponential in 2023, I was under the impression that Xponential was an “industry show,” or a trade show dedicated to drone manufacturers and the parading of new UAV technology. While that is a component of the show, it became clear to me this year that I may have put too much priority on that part of the show and did not look at it from a wide enough perspective. Xponential is about drone technology, but it more so highlights the drone OEM market and the various parts, accessories, and innovations by companies meant to enhance existing UAV technology.
According to several veterans of Xponential the trade show, this has always been the case and while the popular opinion of the show has shifted to “industry” over the last 5 years or so, in years past it was always about parts manufacturers having the opportunity to collaborate with and sell to drone manufacturers in attendance.
While this is valuable for manufacturers in attendance, it is not overly interesting to the casual drone user. Why is that? Well, because when you break down the industry into its respective segments (and there’s a subjective element to this, so bare with me), they look like this:
1. Consumers/Drone End-Users (Largest Segment)
2. Drone Service Providers/Commercial Companies
3. Drone OEM Parts Manufacturers
4. Membership Organizations Centered Around Drones
5. Drone Manufacturers
6. Military Technology Implementers (Smallest Segment)
When you consider that consumers and end-users are inarguably the largest segment of the industry and then take into account that an OEM-focused show may not interest this particular segment as much as it does others, it’s no wonder that we’re seeing decreased registration from “walkers” of the show.
What does this say about the industry as a whole? It says, to me, that end-users are looking for all-in-one solutions that are ready to fly out of the box. Companies that are not focusing on this and putting this at the forefront of their research and development are risking losing out long-term. Additionally, and more centric to our article’s theme, if a trade show like Xponential does not feature enough of these types of companies, platforms, and/or solutions, registration from the largest segment of our industry will naturally decrease.
I’m not saying this is a positive or a negative. Xponential can be whatever it is meant to be and can thrive if given the right care and attention from show organizers. What I am saying though is by emphasizing the OEM-to-manufacturer idea on this show, you are alienating the largest segment of the industry, which will only hurt overall revenue generated by the show and may result in increased costs to the segments that are still interested in the show — thus putting their participation in future shows in jeopardy.
The Economy Sucks Right Now — Within the Industry and Broadly
While we have yet to see any concrete evidence of a move into an economic recession in the United States, there are some strong indicators pointing to our economy hitting the sh*tter at some point in the next year or so. If that happens, industries like ours will suffer the consequences more heavily than other industries. Venture capitalists have already started to pull back on investing into emerging technologies and play more conservatively with their money in the market. On top of that, financial institutions will cut back on aggressively financing start-ups and companies looking for capital injections to keep operations afloat.
Long-story, short: if we do enter a recession, many of the companies and brands you know will shrivel up and die…or be acquired for an insanely low price…but the point is they won’t exist on their own anymore.
I know I got a little long-winded about that and I apologize for it because it’s not really the reason people didn’t attend en masse this year. The economic reason for a lower attendance this year compared to previous years was because, well, I don’t think people had the money to afford registration, travel, and hotels. If they did have the money, they are also entering into a more financially conservative frame-of-mind and holding onto their money instead of putting it towards a trade show that has become somewhat predictable in its offerings and run by an organization unpopular in its stances on the industry.
I truly believe that, whether out of financial responsibility or protest against AUVSI, many regular attendees just said, “eh, not this year.”
In Conclusion…
AUVSI is mired in controversy, experiencing a reality-check related to the identity of their flagship trade show, and attempting to put on a trade show in a questionable economic landscape at best. These factors blend and meld together to equal declining attendance numbers which has many regulars of the Xponential show a bit concerned about the outlook for 2026 and beyond. Do I think Xponential curls up and dies after this? No. Do I think that AUVSI has to make some adjustments across the board to increase enrollment and keep their show competitive in reputation with the likes of Commercial UAV? Yes.
The first step is repairing a tarnished image with the industry. If anything was made clear this year, it’s that Michael Robbins (and thus AUVSI) is out-of-touch with the needs of the end-users within the industry. Statements in the past regarding AUVSI’s stance on our market’s “reliance” on Chinese technology ignores a crucial factor that, for all intents and purposes, the rest of the industry cannot address: price.
When you consider the majority of small business, police departments, fire departments, and search and rescue outfits are running on shoestring budgets, ignoring the fact that the likes of DJI and Autel offer highly-effective solutions at a generous price point compared to their western counterparts is not just a disservice to the backbone of the industry, it’s out-of-touch and borderline arrogant.
While I’m sure Michael Robbins felt an overwhelming rush of euphoria as he belted out the “irrelevant” statement in his keynote, the fact is he could not have gotten it more wrong. I’m an advocate for the western drone market. I’d love to see US companies competing with the likes of DJI and Autel — make no mistake, I’m as red, white, and blue-blooded as they come…but I’m also a drone enthusiast that sees the landscape for what it is. No, Mikey, it’s not going to be those of us using Chinese technology that become irrelevant, it’s going to be short-sighted organizations and companies that fail to meet the needs of the market they serve that become irrelevant…maybe take a look in the mirror before you have your publicist write-up that next zinger.
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