Companies offering drone events enjoy sky high growth as more and more towns, villages, private companies and individuals book shows, three drone companies told The Connexion.
All looked to the future, leaning on stable growth in turnover, employees numbers, shows booked per year and their number of drones on display.
Several reasons explain the buzz around drone shows.
Directors claim the rise is due to concerns over global warming and noise pollution along with the dazzling innovation of the technology.
Stellair
France is the most active country in Europe and one of the leaders in the sector on the international stage.
“Turnover has quadrupled since I launched my company,” said Bruno Marlois, the director of Magic Drone, a drone show company launched during the Covid and based in Reims (Marne).
Similarly, Stellair, another company based in Saint-Amand-Montrond (Cher), said it's turnover doubled from 2022 to 2024.
Stellair
Magic Drone was the first company to organise a show on the roof of the Stade de France, Mr Marlois said, a partnership between the Fédération Française de Football and Xbox.
Allumee
Others of his clients include Louis Vuitton and EDF or, more recently, an American couple who booked a show for their marriage in France.
Magic Drone grew its fleet to add 1,100 new drones and expanded its catalogue of services which now offers larger and longer shows on an international stage including Madagascar, Vietnam or in the Caribbean.
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This is more or less the same story at Allumee, another company based in Paris, and Stellair.
“The trend is here to stay,” said Edouard Ferrari, president and director of Allumee.
“Why? Mairies and local authorities turn toward drones because they represent a lesser risk than fireworks, which have sometimes caused fires, generate noise pollution and anxiety,” he added.
Mr Ferrari held up the mairie of Carcassonne and several others in the south of France as an example.
Allumee
Carcassonne showed interest because drones allowed them to offer a show without disturbing protected bird species in a nearby area while other villages saw them as a solution to avoid the fire risk of fireworks.
“The more years go by, the more our drone fleet grows.
"In 2020, our shows required from 70 to 100 drones. In 2021, from 100 to 200, the year after 200 to 400. Now, we are looking at 800 of them for some shows,” he said.
“Similarly, as the years go by, the more our catalogue of clients diversifies. It was mainly mairies in 2020. But private companies came in around 2022. Now, we even have private clients,” he added.
One show realised by Dronisos and where a fleet of drones poured wine in a wine glass generated a lot of praise and comments, helping the industry to get more traction and attention.
More communes opt for drones
Allumee
Many councils across France showed off spectacular drone displays, mainly for the July 14 festivities.
The list for 2023 include Lourdes (Hautes-Pyrénées), Nîmes (Gard), La Teste-de-Buch (Gironde), Puteaux (Hauts-de-Seine) and Les Ulis (Essonne).
But companies now book clients and shows year round.
The busiest period happens from May to October, said Mr Ferrari, but all other months see private companies booking events for company parties or keynotes.
Most companies are supplied by Drotek, the Toulouse-based leader in the market of drones designed specifically for shows (lighter and not equipped with cameras).
The shows have evolved as well.
Engineers designing them on computers explored various techniques.
Where they were previously planned in 2D, based on around abstract forms, the shows have become more sophisticated, adding nuances of colour and synchronising with music.
“This is where the growth lies now in my opinion. Shows will get more sophisticated. The difference will be made on the visual quality of our animations,” said Marlois.
