If you haven’t already realised by now, FlightSimExpo is one of the most important dates in our yearly calendar. It’s the biggest resource of new flight sim news and easily the best way for us to engage and interact with the community as a whole. Whether that be reuniting with old friends, meeting new faces, or developing fruitful business relationships for our long-term success, FlightSimExpo is the best place to do it.
We have always been huge advocates for the show, and 2025 was no different – if anything, we put even more commitment into the show than ever. We invested plenty this year to bring you the best content possible, as well as providing developers and publishers with plentiful ways to reach our audience at home and in person. As with any event, it takes time, dedication, and a lot of teamwork in order to facilitate the huge amount of activity going on.
It has now been a few weeks, and after a bit of time reflecting, Jordan Williams and I put together some of our thoughts on the show itself. But before you read on, please watch the incredible video AviationLads did for us.
Our FSExpo Video
These shows are all about us creating content for the community. That comes with a huge team effort, but also a lot of fun. I was determined to get this captured in a meaningful way, and Maurice from AviationLads has done us proud with an outstanding video. From the set-up of the weekend and the graft of providing coverage, to the people we met and the celebrations we had, the video is truly a reflection of what its like to be at FlightSimExpo 2025 as part of the FSElite crew. Who knows, maybe we’ll be inviting a lot more next year in 2026 to support us.
Thursday – Developer Conference
Calum: Along with Flight Simulation Association, we’re proud to be co-hosts of the Developer Conference. This is a space where developers can all be in a room together discussing the latest industry trends for 2025 and beyond. It’s the perfect networking opportunity, and we’re huge advocates for more open lines of communication.
Whilst the discussions are private and designed to be more of a way for other developers to seek out new opportunities and partnerships, it’s also a way to network. The several-hour session was a blast and a success, and one we hope to see return in 2026.
For the community, keep your eyes on the lookout. There could be some very fruitful things in the future for you based on the topics that were brought up!
Friday Started with a Busy Day
Jordan: Day one for our team meant setting up our booth to exhibit our curated magazine, merch and information for those that had not heard of us before or those who wanted to meet the team behind their favourite flight sim media outlet, our ever growing FSElite stage, used by many developers to launch products, interact with their customers and of course, answer all the important questions, and our first ever Interview Suite equipped with TV studio style lighting, cameras and backdrop. Our presence at these shows grows and grows – and this year was our biggest and best yet.
Friday was packed full of exciting announcements, and for me, this is typically my favourite day of the weekend. It’s when we see the whole team come together to get the news out to you as fast as we can whilst still watching another developer present their latest innovations. Fortunately, many developers sent us press releases in advance, which some of you may be surprised but we don’t normally get the scoop beforehand, so this was mainly handled by a single team member who worked diligently to get as much written as possible during the day. This left me to dive into interviewing some well-known and lesser-known faces of flight simulation development in the suite.
Although I have interviewed many developers in the past, this seemed bigger, more important, and more nerve-racking. Maybe it was the professional set-up we built, but regardless, it took a couple of minutes to settle in, and the fun began to roll. FSExpo is one of my favourite weekends of the year, and it’s because I get to dive into flight simulation, nerd out and talk about virtual aircraft of all shapes and sizes.
Meeting the Community and Visiting Booths
Jordan: I also love meeting familiar faces as well as new ones, particularly those who have read our site for months or years, daily. It really puts into perspective how many awesome readers we have, and it’s so humbling when someone approaches you, because they have recognised the pin on our shirts and thanks us for what we do or tells us ‘Great job on X’. As the team are all volunteers who dedicate some of their free time to contribute to our little corner of the internet, it makes it all worthwhile.
My favourite part of the weekend was dropping by some of the larger booths like WinWing, MOZA and Honeycomb to take you all on a YouTube Live look around some of the very busy booths at the show and to give you at home a feel for what it’s like at a show if you have never attended one before. Having to think on my feet, keep it engaging, fight my way through crowds and describe products in a way that those who aren’t at the show can grasp what they’re like in person. This for me, was certainly a learning curve but something I definitely want to keep doing at the shows to bring you the content in a timelier fashion.
At the end of the Sunday show, the whole team is exhausted, but one thing is for certain: the show itself plays a very important part in the year for the team and FSElite. It’s a chance for us all to meet in one place, particularly this year when we celebrate our 10th anniversary, see old friends and meet those new to the team that we have only chatted through internal platforms.
Spending Time with Other Media
Calum: Each year we go, we always get asked why there’s such a rivalry between media sites. And each year, I am always baffled by this. Our collective goal for media is to provide you with the best and most widespread coverage possible. There is only so much FSElite can do, and to add to that, we’re only one voice. Having multiple outlets and content creators is only a benefit to the community as a whole. It gives you plenty of insight from a variety of opinions and expectations, so you are as prepared as possible before spending your money on a new add-on or investing time in something.
In particular, people comment on our relationship with Threshold. It’s no secret that we offer a similar service to the community, but our goals are very different – and that’s a good thing. Magnus (CEO of Threshold) spent a lot of time this year talking all things flight simulation, having a laugh and enjoying one another’s company. Magnus is extremely knowledgeable, and he has skills that inspire me. And yes, we’re competing, but there is mutual respect about what connects us, but also where we differ. And that is okay for them, us, and the community. This extended beyond me and our whole team regularly interacted with them. The same goes for other media and, of course, the valuable content creators out there.
It’s why we co-sponsored the media lounge this year. Whilst we had our own personal set-up, we believed it was vital that media outlets and creators had a safe space to do their thing and provide coverage at home. We all know that attending FlightSimExpo is not possible for everyone, and we all take our role in bringing that to you online very seriously.
The media collaboration goes beyond just catching up at shows. The FlightSim Awards were built around the premise of building a strong team of industry insiders to provide the best possible way to reward those who make amazing products for the community. Us, Threshold, CruiseLevel and the FSWeekend team had a very productive meeting to determine our next steps for the 2026 awards. We can’t wait to share that with you.
Behind the Scenes Effort
Calum: It’s not often mentioned by me, just how much effort that goes into these shows. Every year I try to create a spreadsheet with a bunch of jobs to do. That list, honestly, grows and eventually I give up on the spreadsheet. The list of moving parts this year was monumental: hosting a stage for the whole weekend (ran by FSElite), having a studio space for developers, organising merchandise, designing a booth, preparing news coverage – the list goes on.
Upon reflection, it’s crazy to consider that we pulled this all off. And even crazier when event organisation is not our full-time job. We all have other things going on, so to pull this off with great success is an achievement I am extremely proud of for the whole team. Every single person had their role and did it to benefit the community. The late nights, the anxiety of making sure everything was ready, and the studying of my 63-page FSExpo manual for the team all paid off, it helped to ensure that even when there was a problem, it was quick to be resolved.
The FlightSimExpo Team and Volunteer Staff
Calum: It can’t be overstated just how amazing the whole FlightSimExpo team is. Evan and Phil, yet again, taking their time to put on an amazing show for sponsors, exhibitors, media and the attendees. With over 3,000 people attending (online and in-person), this was the biggest show overall for them. And each year, the scale grows bigger and bigger, and you can see them really now in their rhythm. Are they still running around making things happen? Yes! But they wouldn’t have it any other way.
It’s not just Evan and Phil we need to thank for the show; it’s the army of volunteers that also help make this happen. Without them, we wouldn’t be finding that missing package or figuring out WiFi issues. Their dedication to this event means that attendees have a smooth check-in experience and are looked after throughout. These guys are not paid to be there; they’re there because they believe in the show and the difference it makes for our community. From all of FSElite, thank you!
…and finally: Thank you!
Jordan: On reflection, this is the hardest we have worked for a show, but it has also been the smoothest and best show ever. None of this would be possible without the months of work and dedication by the team prior to the show, and reflecting back has made me realise how lucky I am to work within this team, but also how proud I am of every single person that has made FSElite what it is today, past and present, those that made it out to Providence, and those that could not.
Calum: Thank you to our community as well. For using us as your content provider during FlightSimExpo. We had our biggest year ever, and we still have some content to come. Our interviews are now finalising the edits and will be online soon. We tried our very best for you, our readership and community, to provide the best we can. Are we satisfied? Yes! But can we still do better? Absolutely.
The planning for FlightSimExpo 2026 has already begun. See you in Minneapolis.
