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More than 300 people registered for the sixth annual Lift Summit hosted by Monterey Bay DART, bringing together leaders in aviation, government, and technology to discuss advancements in electric air taxis and drone systems.

"Just continue to build momentum, and share learnings with other parts of the state and other parts of the country, as well as learn from them and really be a catalyst for continuing evolution," said Josh Metz, executive director and co-founder of Monterey Bay DART.

Over the next two days, attendees will explore what it will take to make advanced air mobility a reality, including building infrastructure, training a workforce, and creating supportive policies.

The summit kicked off on Tuesday with an expo, including a visit to Joby's manufacturing center in Marina.

"This industry is coming, and it's real," said Cody Cleverly, workforce development lead at Joby Aviation. "Two, the technology has dramatically changed in the last few years to allow electric aviation to completely change mobility across the entire world."

Tuesday night featured an opening reception at the Monterey Jet Center.

Wednesday and Thursday will include panels and discussions on topics ranging from national strategy for air mobility to funding new airport infrastructure and integrating it into cities, with experts from the U.S. Department of Transportation, FAA, and NASA Ames participating.

"This is our rapidly growing field. These are major job opportunities that we're already seeing right here in Monterey County, and I think it's just the beginning of what's possible," Metz said.

The panels over the next two days will take place at the Monterey Conference Center from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.