Engineering the Art of the Sky
SMIA plans and flies drone shows internationally, from large-scale productions with several thousand drones to compact stagings for smaller occasions.
The choreography is at the centre: every show is developed as its own visual idea, not assembled from a catalogue of motifs.
The SMIA Story
Behind SMIA is Peter Smiatek.
Since his first drone show in 2019, he has been developing the format further, technically and creatively.
A central part of his work is the close collaboration with Verge Aero, one of the world’s leading providers of integrated drone show systems. As an operator, trainer and technician, Peter has been involved in international large-scale productions with hundreds to several thousand drones, with experience in show design, aviation, safety and system operation.
His projects begin where conventional formats reach their limits. He has been involved in several record-setting drone stagings, including the longest drone line ever flown, around 2,000 metres long, flown with pyro drones at the turn of the year 2023 in Ras Al Khaimah (UAE).
In 2025 came the first legal use of pyro drones in Germany. In parallel, Peter contributes to the further development of European regulations for drone and pyro drone shows.
SMIA grew out of this ambition: a platform for drone light and pyro drone shows that develops its own concepts, from exclusive events to complex large-scale productions.
SMIA stands for drone shows that go further, technically and conceptually, than the standard format.
Showcase
“By their results you shall know them.” And that is exactly where our standard begins.
DATEV Challenge ROTH 2026 drone show
The drone show at the DATEV Challenge Roth was part of a complex live production of pyrotechnics, laser show, light, music and stadium dramaturgy. Rather than aiming for the largest possible number of drones, SMIA developed a precisely integrated show with 180 drones, a fully in-house design and timecode integration.
750 drones over Berlin’s Olympiastadion
For the international film campaign around Project Hail Mary, SMIA lifted 750 drones over the Berlin Olympiastadion. Design, permits, logistics and flight planning came together in just 14 days, because the campaign date was fixed before the first drone took off.
Wacken Open Air 2024
As part of the festival production, SMIA staged the Space Cowboys show in the Wacken sky, alongside the iconic Grawling Creatures as a separate special show. The timecode tied every formation precisely to the stage sound and lighting design, so that sky and stage worked as a single staging.
Wacken Open Air 2023
In Wacken Open Air's most legendary year, thousands of fans could no longer reach the site. Mud, rain and chaos defined the festival, yet SMIA flew the show anyway, together with Verge Aero. Proof that the technology withstands even extreme conditions.
