ICAST 2023 set to be better than ever

The best place to see innovative products is ramping up with new features and returning favourites this year as ICAST 2023 starts taking shape.

ICAST, the annual recreational fishing industry’s trade show produced by the American Sportfishing Association, has become a gathering place not only for US-based buyers and media but for a global array of businesses from Europe, South America, Australia, Africa and Asia too.

International attendees fish the rolling rivers of the Scottish highlands, the tropical reefs of the Queensland coastline and the swirling depths of the Peruvian rainforest. They know where to fish for bass in Spain, Italy, Japan and South Africa.

In 2022, businesses from 73 countries made their way to Florida, USA, to join a crowd of more than 12,000 attendees at an event that serves as the signature experience of the summer for people who live and breathe the business of fishing.

“ICAST is the number one destination for everything an angler would need for their ultimate, on-the-water experience,” said trade show and membership director Blake Swango.

Last year, 585 exhibitors set up shop inside the spacious halls of Orlando’s Orange County Convention Center. From elaborate, double-decker booths with cocktail bars and meeting rooms to simple 10x10 setups with a trifold, exhibitors showcased an astounding array of products. The latest fishing lures were on tap but so too were shoes, raincoats, nets, coolers, sunglasses, weights, hooks, paddles, rods, reels, lines, tackle boxes and sonar units.

“Fishing tackle is at the core of ICAST, but ICAST is so much more than fishing tackle,” added Blake. “Each year, we look for opportunities to add events and activities that help showcase everything our exhibitors have to offer. And add some fun to make it even more memorable.”

 

New for 2023

To emphasise that point, the 2023 show will return to Orlando from July 11th to 14th with an expanded New Product Showcase that ushers in more categories for manufacturers.

The show will feature six new fly-fishing categories ranging from clothing to rods and reels and two new categories for boating accessories.

“Fly fishing has always been a part of ICAST,” Blake explained. “This year, we are creating even more ways for the fly-fishing community to be a part of the show and elevating their presence in the New Product Showcase. That goes alongside new lifestyle categories that allow more of the innovative, less traditional products that have been making appearances at the show to shine.”

Outdoors, attendees will once again have the opportunity to investigate products at ICAST On The Water Demo Day. There, tackle dealers can cast, retrieve and paddle new products while networking with the manufacturers who designed them. And buyers and media have the option of participating in a professional bass fishing tournament on Lake Toho with Major League Fishing.

Daily Lunch & Learn business seminars are set to return to the show floor, with topics covering the gamut from marketing your business in an evolving economy to managing your social media with a limited staff. Seminars are led by industry veterans, agency insiders and passionate activists that are helping to shape the landscape of recreational fishing today.

Meanwhile, after hours networking events help keep attendees brimming with ideas that can help push their businesses to grow.

Blake concluded: “But, as always, the star of the show will be the products themselves. In July, buyers and will come from all corners of the globe to convene at an unmissable affair that sets the tone for the future of fishing every year.”

Registration for ICAST 2023 opens during the second week of February at ICASTFishing.org . There, tackle dealers can browse through more information about events during show week, the New Product Showcase itself and a gallery of videos from last year’s event.

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