If you’re looking for energy, enthusiasm, and lots of great advice at Commercial UAV Expo, be sure to check out the Drone Pilot Hub. At the Hub, you’ll be able to take part in a wide range of sessions that provide real-world, actionable advice on becoming a pilot, becoming a better pilot, landing a job, launching a business, dealing with regulations, and more.

You’ll also be able to meet up with other drone industry professionals. Including those just starting out and seasoned pros, the pilots who hang out in the Hub are a great source for advice, encouragement, and conversation.

The “Pathway to Professionalism: Become a Drone Pro” session held on Tuesday of Commercial UAV Expo was a great example of the kind of informative, no-nonsense content that was on offer all day in the Drone Pilot Hub.

Hosted by Paul Rossi from Nine Ten Drones, the brisk, 20-minute presentation ran through a list of crucial elements for starting, growing, and sustaining a successful drone business. Rossi, an Embry-Riddle graduate currently working on a master’s degree, explained the origins of his North Carolina-based business and used his experience to inform the crowd of the importance of receiving education in uncrewed systems technology and earning the proper certifications for commercial drone operations.

Rossi stressed the importance of being a “professional,” and he called on session attendees to work on building a brand, engaging with other businesses, becoming a mentor to others in the industry, and volunteering their skills and expertise to help their communities.

“Use everything that you’ve done,” he said, and you’ll find drone industry success.