Organising a drone show: what to prepare for the day

Once everything is signed, the date is fixed and the authorisation is under way, the organiser is left with the part nobody has explained: what has to be ready on the day of the flight. Not the aeronautical side, which belongs to the operator, but everything around the show that depends on whoever runs the event.

That is what this article is about. If you have to organise a drone show for a city council, an agency or a company’s events team, here is the logistics of the day seen from your side: the take-off area, where to put the audience, the lights, the sound, coordination with security and what to tell people before they arrive.

What belongs to the operator and what belongs to you

The operator takes on everything aeronautical: the fleet, the pilots, the risk assessment, the insurance, the authorisation and the decision to fly or not. At UMILES, on top of that, the team flying the drones is our own: we do not subcontract the flight, and we handle the permits with the aviation authorities and the local council.

The rest is the organiser’s, because it depends on whoever controls the venue: that the space is clear, that the audience is where it should be, that lights and sound respond on cue and that event security knows what is going to happen. What cannot be delegated is set out in who decides and what gets signed when hiring a drone show. Here we stick to the practicalities of the day.

The take-off area: reserved, closed off and clear

The take-off area is agreed beforehand, with the exact location. On the day, the job is making sure it really exists as agreed.

• Reserved all day, not just at show time. Setting up the fleet starts well in advance, and the area has to be free from the moment the crew arrives until the last drone is packed away.
• No new vehicles, stages or marquees. Something unplanned tends to turn up on the day: a catering lorry, a parked van, a last-minute tent. Anything occupying the area or the airspace above it means rethinking.
• Closed to the public. With barriers or with staff, depending on the venue. People come over to watch the set-up, which is only natural, but they cannot go in.
• Accessible for the crew. The operator’s vehicle has to reach the area, and whoever controls access to the venue needs to know to let it through.

Where the audience goes, and where the view is best

Two different things tend to get mixed up here. The first is where the audience cannot be: the safety distance between people and the flight area. That distance is not chosen by the organiser or negotiated by the operator: it is set by the authorisation for the operation, and it can change from one site to another. Your job is to make sure it is respected, with the perimeter marked and watched throughout the flight.

The second is where the audience should be to see the figures well. Figures are designed facing one way; they have a front, and from the side they read worse. How that shapes the design is covered in how many drones a show takes. On the day, in practice:

• Point people to the good spot. In a large venue the crowd spreads wherever it can. A few signs, the stewards or an announcement saying «the show is best seen from here» gather the audience in front of the figure.
• Keep the line of sight clear. Screens, lighting towers or stages between the audience and the sky hide the lower part of the figures.

Lights: what to switch off and what not to

Drones draw with light: the darker the sky behind the figures, the better they read. That does not mean plunging the venue into darkness, but controlling whatever competes with the show:

• Spotlights and searchlights pointing at the sky. These get in the way most, because they light up exactly where the drawing happens. If the event has them, they must be switched off during the flight.
• Big screens and stage lighting. Dimming them or holding them on a neutral tone helps people look up.
• Street lighting. If the show is in a street or a park, switching part of it off is a decision for the council and its lighting department, and it has to be requested in advance. It is not always needed: it depends on where the audience stands and which way it looks. Walkways and exits stay lit.

Most important of all: someone from the event in charge of the lights, in contact with the operator, who knows when to switch off and when to switch back on. If nobody has that job, the lights stay as they were.

Sound: the music comes from the event

Most shows are synchronised to a soundtrack, and the synchronisation is prepared beforehand, in the design. But the sound the audience hears does not come from the drones: it comes from the event’s sound system. So three things depend on the organiser:

• A PA that reaches the audience. On an esplanade or along a promenade, the sound from the main stage may not carry. Check that the music can be heard from the best viewing area.
• Who starts the track, and on what cue. Agreed with the operator beforehand: which file, from which desk and with what signal. If the sound engineer does not know it is their cue, the music starts late or out of step.
• A test on the real equipment. With the final track, on the system that will be used that night, before the audience arrives.

If there is a host, give them the line that introduces the show in writing. A long silence with the crowd staring at the sky, unsure whether it has started, feels endless.

Local police, civil protection and event security

A drone show is not organised separately from the event’s security operation: it becomes part of it. If the event already has local police, civil protection or private security, they all need to know the same things, and in good time:

• Where the take-off area is and what perimeter has to be kept during the flight.
• What time it starts, roughly how long it lasts and what happens if it has to be delayed.
• How the operator’s crew talks to the head of security during the show, and who that person is.
• What happens if someone enters the restricted area, or if a drone that is not part of the show appears.

The most useful thing is a short briefing on the day, before the doors open, between the operator’s lead and the heads of each service. Road closures and use of public space, on the other hand, are arranged well in advance, and they are the organiser’s responsibility.

What to tell the audience before they arrive

People who know what time it is and where to stand see a better show, and they move in a more orderly way. It is worth announcing in the programme, on the event’s social media and over the PA:

• The time, with some leeway. «Around ten» is better than an exact minute: the show depends on darkness and on the technical call of the moment, and it can shift a little.
• Where to stand. The best viewing area, and which areas are closed.
• That nobody may fly their own drone. Not even to film it from above. The airspace for the show is reserved for the authorised operation.
• What happens if the weather turns. Where a delay or a change will be announced, so nobody is left waiting without information.

What the operator’s crew does on the day

To plan your side, it helps to know what is happening on the other. The operator’s crew arrives early, sets up the fleet in the take-off area, runs the technical checks on the drones and the surroundings, and follows the weather all day.

The decision to fly is made by the operator on technical grounds and within the limits set by the authorisation. It is not a commercial call and it is not up for negotiation that night; what can be managed is the window, bringing the slot forward or pushing it back within what was agreed.

What not to do

• Do not enter the take-off area or the safety perimeter, and that includes event staff and VIP guests who want a closer look.
• Do not fly other drones. Not even the production company’s filming drone, unless it has been coordinated with the operator from the start. Filming from the ground is fine.
• Do not change the location on the day. The authorisation is tied to the site. Moving the show a few metres for convenience is not a detail: it can take it outside what was authorised.
• Do not promise the audience it will fly whatever happens.

Frequently asked questions

How far away does the audience have to be?

As far as the authorisation for the operation sets for that particular site. There is no single figure for every show, and the organiser receives it from the operator before the event so it can be marked out.

Do all the lights have to go off?

No. What gets in the way is light pointing at the sky or sitting right behind the figures. Walkways and exits stay lit.

Who decides whether it is delayed?

The operator, on technical grounds. The organiser decides how it is communicated to the audience and how the delay fits the programme, so it is worth agreeing in advance how long you can wait.

The checklist for show week

Go through it a few days before, with your team and with the operator:

• Take-off area reserved all day, accessible to the crew and closed to the public.
• Safety perimeter marked as per the authorisation, with staff to watch it.
• Best viewing area marked and free of obstacles.
• Someone in charge of lights and sound, with the start cue agreed and a test done.
• Local police, civil protection and security informed, with a briefing on the day.
• Time with leeway, viewing area and the no-drones rule announced to the public.
• A single contact with the operator, reachable and on the spot during the flight.

A show that goes well has almost always been won on the ground. At UMILES we have done more than 500 shows in more than 15 countries, and we go through the logistics of the day with every organiser before it arrives. Tell us about your event and we will tell you what you need to prepare.