AUVSI and Messe Düsseldorf North America Announce a Successful XPONENTIAL 2023

Following the close of the first XPONENTIAL trade fair jointly organized by the Association for Uncrewed Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) and Messe Düsseldorf North America (MDNA), the two organizations declared the event a resounding success.

The leading U.S. trade show for uncrewed vehicles and robotic technologies celebrated its 50^th anniversary in Denver from May 8-11. XPONENTIAL 2023 offered a world-class platform for industry changemakers and end users to see how new technologies are solving real world problems, including in the public safety and defense, energy, infrastructure, business, construction, health care and environment sectors.

The XPONENTIAL 2023 exhibit hall showcased the vast range of uncrewed and autonomous technologies with significant industry participation:

• 600 companies presented their products and services;
• 7,000 professionals engaged across three days of programming;
• 41 companies participated in Tech Pavilions, where they hosted demonstrations to get attendees face-to-face and hands-on with ground-breaking innovations from maritime, public safety, autonomous ground vehicles, cybersecurity, and composites sectors;
• Outdoor demonstrations by three exhibitors showed their products operating in real-world conditions;
• U.S. Drone Soccer presented the Federation of International Drone Soccer Association (FIDA)’s international Drone Soccer Competition;
• Highlighting its commitment to ushering the next generation into this field, middle- and high school students showcased STEM projects related to uncrewed vehicles; and
• 26 organizations and individuals were announced as winners of AUVSI’s 6^th annual XCELLENCE awards and honored for their commitment to advancing autonomy.

The concurrently held educational conference attracted top global thought leaders and featured programming around the theme “Building the Blueprint for Autonomy.”

• The conference featured over 165 hours of educational programming with 78 standalone presentations, 46 panel discussions and 21 workshops;
• Keynote speakers included Acting Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Administrator Billy Nolen; Cybersecurity expert Alex Stamos; and Founder and former Commodore of CENTCOM’s Task Force 59, Michael Brasseur; and
• Sessions on cybersecurity, data management, design and testing, policy and workforce development drew significant attendee participation.

Reflecting the global expansion of this important industry sector, XPONENTIAL 2023 bolstered its largest international component in recent years:

• Official delegations from 14 countries traveled to the event, with the highest percentage coming from Asia, followed by Europe;
• One-fifth of all attendees came from countries outside the U.S., representing a 65 percent increase in international attendees compared to the 2022 event;
• Five international pavilions showcased domestic innovations from Germany, Québec, Spain, Switzerland and Asia Pacific; and
• The launch of XPONENTIAL Europe was also announced at the event by Dr. Stephan Keller, Mayor of Düsseldorf, and Brian Wynne, AUVSI President and CEO, to be held February 18 – 20, 2025 at the Düsseldorf Exhibition Center in Germany.

The next staging of XPONENTIAL will take place from April 22 – 25, 2024 at the San Diego Convention Center, California, USA.

For more information, visit https://www.xponential.org.