The Bordeaux, France-based company Dronisos has opened its first U.S. office at 9100 Conroy Windermere Road in Windermere.
The company intends to create 15 Orlando jobs over the next five years, according to an Orlando Economic Partnership news release. Details about those positions were not provided and representatives with Dronisos could not be reached for comment prior to publication.
The drone show company, established in 2016, specializes in theme park entertainment. Dronisos has produced light shows at Disneyland Paris and Dollywood.
CEO Laurent Perchais of Dronisos said in a prepared statement that Orlando was a natural choice for U.S. expansion given that it is the global hub of amusement parks. Perchais himself relocated from France to Orlando in August.
Drone shows — also called drone art and drone display — are composed with the help of unmanned quadcopters equipped with LED lights. The drones are orchestrated to illuminate the night sky with pictures and designs that tell a story or mimic fireworks.
Drone shows have become increasingly popular substitutes for Independence Day and New Year's Eve fireworks. In 2023, Travis County in Texas banned fireworks due to drought conditions, as did Garfield County in Colorado and Lake and Cook counties in Minnesota, to name a few. Fireworks are permanently banned in the state of Massachusetts.
Further, a report in BBC Science Focus Magazine said many fireworks release smoke and particulates that affect local air quality and even can contaminate rivers, lakes and drinking water.
The city of Orlando produces a handful of fireworks displays each year and offers permits for other entities to set off fireworks. However, it will be lights attached to drones that light up the sky on Dec. 23 at 8 p.m. above Lake Eola. Produced in partnership with Dronisos, the special holiday show will last for 12 minutes. The city has billed the show as “high-tech,” and in a prepared statement, Mayor Buddy Dyer noted the show is an indicator that Orlando is a global leader for innovation.
“[It adds] a touch of magic to our vibrant city and further solidifies Orlando as the MetaCenter,” he said.
Local theme parks have incorporated drone shows in recent years, though Magic Kingdom Park, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Epcot, SeaWorld Orlando and Legoland Florida Resort are well known for frequent fireworks.
Universal Studio Orlando shut down its Universal Orlando’s Cinematic Celebration — which included light and water displays and some fireworks — earlier in 2023, which could be replaced by a drone show in the future. In 2022, Universal Parks & Resorts filed a patent application for projection mapping, a technology that can project lifelike characters in the sky.
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