The use of drones at events is becoming more common every day. In fact, drones are one of the hottest event tech trends, and they’re being used in a wide variety of creative ways at all kinds of events. From indoor conferences to outdoor festivals, drones are providing entertainment, advertising, security, and more.
Of course, there are also a variety of laws you need to be aware of and follow when using drones at events, and those laws change from state to state. Always make sure you hire drone pilots who hold a commercial pilot license to operate unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) and follow all FAA rules. To give you an idea of some of the rules you’ll need to follow if you use drones at your event, consider these laws.
Laws Governing Drone Event Photography
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Drones flown for commercial purposes (like events where tickets and other things are sold), must be registered by the FAA.
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Drones cannot be flown out of the sight of the pilot.
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Drones cannot be flown above 400 feet.
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Drones cannot be flown within five miles of commercial airspace, national parks, or federal buildings.
Also, make sure the venue allows drones and that the space where your event will be held can accommodate the clearance required to fly a drone. This includes not just ceiling height for indoor events but also signs, banners, lighting, displays, and so on that could get in the way of the drone either indoors or outdoors.
Using Drones at Events in Western Massachusetts
Drones can take amazing aerial photos of your events that you can share to social media for real-time engagement during your event. They can also take photos of the venue before your event, which you can use for marketing. Share these images on your blog, in your newsletter, on your ticket sales page, and on your social media profiles to generate excitement and ticket sales. It’s an effective form of social media marketing for your event.
For example, people love to see progress as an event comes together, and stunning aerial photos of a stage being set up or decorations being hung can motivate people who haven’t purchased tickets yet to do so. These images can also motivate people who have already purchased tickets to share the images with their friends, which gives your event more word-of-mouth marketing!
In addition, you can use these photos in your marketing materials for future events if you hold an event more than once. For example, annual festivals could use drones to take photos of the large crowds to show next year’s prospective ticket buyers all the fun they’ll miss if they don’t attend. These photos are also perfect to use in your marketing materials, event website, and ticket sales page next year (or whenever you hold the event again).
Drone Videos
Drones capture gorgeous aerial footage of events. The sweeping images can feel very immersive and are perfect to use for marketing future events. However, you can use drones to capture video footage for event planning, too.
For example, if you’re scouting locations for your event, not only can drones capture the entire site you’re considering, but they can also capture hard-to-see and hard-to-photograph areas. This is particularly helpful when you’re scouting multiple locations and trying to remember what each offered or when you need to share visuals of possible locations with your team back at the office.
Live Streaming
Live streaming events is so popular, and using drones to capture the video for a live stream adds so much more to the experience. Drones can move around and make viewers feel like they’re actually part of the event. You could live stream artists when they’re performing, a backstage tour, and more.
Keep in mind, live streaming doesn’t have to be limited to during your event. You can hold live streams using drones to reveal exciting announcements or progress as the event is being set up. Don’t be afraid to get creative because every live stream provides an opportunity for people to get excited about your event, tell other people about it, and buy more tickets.
Using Drones Successfully at Your Next Event in Western, MA
Work with your pilot to identify any problems or obstacles at the venue, and together, make a plan to integrate drones into your event in ways that help you reach your event goals. It’s a great idea to create a storyboard of images and videos, so the pilot understands the shots that need to be taken for specific purposes as well as the overall story you’re trying to tell. That way, you can be confident that you’ll get the images and footage you need before, during, and after the event.