SXSW Issues 'Strict No Drones' Policy Ahead of Interactive Conference Start

While CEA considered drones one of the “highlights” of CES in January, interactive conference South by Southwest (SXSW), which opens Friday in Austin, Texas, is taking a more guarded approach to unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV). In a blog post, SXSW organizers said the conference has a “strict no drones policy due to the safety risks drones present to the public,” citing an Austin city ordinance. While SXSW “may make exceptions to this policy if the drones are used within certain trade show areas where safety measures, such as tethering to the ground are implemented, the airwaves and/or frequency spectrums generally used in the remote control of drones are too congested during the SXSW event to ensure operation safe from interference,” it said. Those who want to test the limits could face punishment, SXSW warned. “The Austin Police Department will also be watching for drones in crowded and/or public areas where the drones could pose a risk to public safety,” it said, adding that drones flown in the city of Austin are subject to seizure by police, and the operators are subject to fines and/or arrest. CEA, in announcing last September the first Unmanned Systems Marketplace at CES, said the 6,500-square-foot exhibit space designated for drones would accommodate roughly 16 high-end commercial and consumer UAV technology companies to show how “these unique tools are revolutionizing the way we capture and monitor our world.” According to CEA research, the global market for consumer drones will approach $130 million in revenue this year, up 55 percent from 2014, with unit sales expected to reach 400,000. The revenue from drone sales is forecast to exceed $1 billion in five years, CEA said.