2026 MDA Conference

Join MDA for our third annual Conference! The Michigan Drone Association’s annual conference has evolved into a statewide gathering that represents every corner of Michigan’s drone and airspace ecosystem. Formerly known as the Winter Conference, this event now unites professionals from public safety, agriculture, education, defense, energy, industry, and service provider sectors.

This year’s conference will bring together agency leaders, innovators, educators, and policymakers for two days of collaboration, learning, and live demonstrations. Attendees will hear from keynote speakers, engage in expert-led panels covering legislative updates, and have the opportunity for hands-on sessions. Outdoor flight demonstrations will showcase real-world capabilities across public safety, infrastructure inspection, agriculture, and defense applications.

The event will also host focused breakout tracks by sector, ensuring each community has space to share innovations and shape Michigan’s next phase of airspace advancement.

Whether you’re a seasoned operator, public official, educator, or emerging technology partner, the MDA Annual Conference is where Michigan’s drone future takes flight together.

For the public safety track, the conference will be both MCOLES CPE and Fire Inspector CPE registered.

Room block available on-site at the Mt. Pleasant Comfort Inn and Suites, hotel and conference center. Call 989-772-4000 and ask for the Michigan Drone Association Room block. The block is available both on the 7th and 8th for $98/night. You can also book online with the following link:

https://www.choicehotels.com/reservations/groups/YN80A7

Conference Schedule:

April 8th, 2026

08:00 - 10:00: Registration and Vendor Time

10:00 -10:45: Opening and Keynote

11:00 - 11:45: Legislative Outlook: A Panel Discussion with Michigan Legislators 

11:45 - 13:00: Lunch 

13:00 - 13:45: From Guidance to Guardrails: Building Real World UAS Security Standards

14:00 - 17:30

• Outdoor and Indoor Vendor Demos 

• Outdoor Flight Stations/Scenarios (Bring your own aircraft)

1730-1800: MDA Annual Membership Meeting

1800 - 1930: Dinner

April 9th, 2026

08:00 - 09:00: Breakfast 

09:00 - 0945: From Pilot Projects to Persistent BVLOS Operations, Panel Discussion 

0945 - 1030: What’s next for Michigan’s UAS Industry, Panel Discussion

10:30 - 11:30: 

• (Main) - When Response Meets Recovery Aerial Support for Critical Infrastructure, Michigan Rescue Task Force 1 and Michigan DTMB

• (B1) - Operational Lessons from the Defense Sector

• (B2) - Made in Michigan The UAS Manufacturing Roundtable

• (B3) - One Scene, Two Missions: How media and public safety can share scenes, Michigan Broadcast Association in collaboration with MDA

11:30 - 12:45: Lunch

12:45 - 13:45: 

• (Main) - From Policy to Performance Tactical UAS Standards, Law Enforcement Drone Association 

• (B1) - From Collection to Clarity: How Mapping Requests Become Decisions, Michigan Department of Natural Resources

• (B2) - Where skill meets standards: Implementing MDA’s Flight Proficiency standard for your organization (Part 1) 

• (B3) - Drone Deployments in the Agricultural Industry

14:00 - 15:00: 

• (Main) - From funding to field, selecting cUAS Systems with Confidence, DroneResponders 

• (B1) - Training Talent for the UAS Ecosystem

• (B2) - Building the Operational Record in Search and Rescue

• (B3) - Persistent Drone Services - Dr. Morrison, Central Michigan University 

• (Outdoor) - Where skill meets standards: Implementing MDA’s Flight Proficiency standard for your organization (Part 2 - Field practical, bring your own aircraft) 

15:15 - 16:00: Raffle, Closing remarks, and wrap up.

** All meals included with conference ticket

Vendors

Interested in sponsoring or joining as a vendor? Vendor information can be found here:

Ready to commit to joining? Please email info@midroneassoc.com.