Make the Most of Your ICAST Experience
From Super Tuesday to the final bell on Friday, ICAST is packed with events and opportunities for you to improve your business.
Noon – 5 PM
Registration Open
Registration is located in the North Hall Lobby – Rooms N220 B-E.
6:30 AM – 10:30 AM
ICAST Cup Bass Fishing Tournament
Presented by Major League Fishing
Join the fun in the ICAST Cup – presented by MLF – and help Keep America Fishing. Take off is at 5:30 a.m. from Big Toho Marina with weigh-in at approximately 9:00 a.m. Let the best team win!
8 AM – 5 PM
Registration Open
Registration is located in the North Hall Lobby – Rooms N220 B-E.
10 AM – 2 PM
On the Water Product Demonstrations
OCCC North Building Ponds
Buyers and media can test the latest rods, reels and lures, paddle a SUP or kayak, and even take a spin in a bass boat.
3 PM – 4:30 PM
Lunch and Learn: Excise Tax Seminar – Understanding Your Federal Excise Tax Obligations
Room N210E
This special seminar will provide an overview of the excise tax obligations for fishing tackle manufacturers and importers.
The presenters are excise tax specialists and will be addressing issues such as taxable products and tax computation formulas with plenty of time for Q & A. Individual appointments can be made by texting Mitch King at 303-585-0377.
Presenters:
Mitch King, Excise Tax Specialist, Wildlife Management Institute
Tim Boes, Excise Tax Policy Analyst – Sport Fishing & Archery, Internal Revenue Service
Bob Curry, Deputy Assistant Director, Wildlife & Sportfish Restoration Program, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
5 PM – 8 PM
New Product Showcase Preview Reception
Sponsored by Fishing Tackle Retailer
Open to buyers and media editorial only
Booth 5100
All retailers and media will want to be there to get their first look at the ICAST 2021 New Product Showcase entries and begin the voting process for the “Best of Category” competition.
7 AM – 5 PM
Registration Open
Registration is located in the North Hall Lobby – Rooms N220 B-E.
7:00 AM – 8:45 AM
State of the Industry Breakfast
Featuring Keynote Speaker Jay Baer
Presented by Take Me Fishing
Room N320
Ticketed event
7:00 a.m. – Doors Open
7:15 a.m. – Breakfast Service Begins
7:45 a.m. – Program Starts with Opening Remarks
The State of the Industry Breakfast is one of the most important business events for our industry.
9 AM – 2 PM
New Product Showcase “Best of Category” Voting
Open to buyers and media editorial only
Booth 5100
Voting continues for the “Best of Category” awards in 30 product categories.
9 AM – 6 PM
Exhibition Open
9 AM – 6 PM
Lure Tank Open
Sponsored by Lunkerville
Show Floor
The showcase for the latest in hard and soft lures. See how lures preform underwater as well as on top of the water.
9 AM – 6 PM
ICASTing Pond Open
Show Floor
Get hands-on experience with some of the latest technology in spinning, baitcasting and fly reels for fresh and saltwater.
11:00 AM – Noon
Lunch and Learn: Anglers’ Motivations, 2020 Sportfishing Trends and Where Do We Go from Here?
Booth 633
The motivations to fish came together perfectly in 2020 to create a record-breaking year for fishing tackle sales. This session focuses on why people fish; the personas that comprise consistent and new anglers; how the 2020 tackle market differed from 2019; plus, where the market may go in 2021 and beyond. The goal is to help companies better relate to today’s anglers and help identify new business opportunities.
Presenters:
Stephanie Vatalaro, Senior Vice President, Recreational Boating & Fishing Foundation
Rob Southwick, President, Southwick Associates
Noon – 1:00 PM
Lunch and Learn: Special “Deep Dive” Business Development Session with Jay Baer
Booth 633 – On the show floor
Join Jay Baer, top brand guru and Speaker Hall of Fame member, when he takes a deeper dive on customer engagement and retention during a special business session on Wednesday morning after his Industry Breakfast keynote presentation.
1:00 PM – 2:00 PM
Lunch and Learn: Superior Customer Service – The Cornerstone of Gaining Momentum
Booth 633
What is the true meaning of superior customer service? In today’s world, the term customer service can mean many things. Superior customer service is defined by always exceeding the customer’s expectations. It is superior customer service that turns casual purchasers into loyal customers and a one-time sale into long-term company success. This seminar will provide key learnings, best practices and takeaways needed to gain momentum in today’s retail environment.
Presenter:
John Johnson, General Manager and Chief Operating Officer, Pitman Creek Wholesale
2:00 PM – 3:00 PM
Lunch and Learn: Use Local Volunteers to Build Community Loyalty
Booth 633
Knowledge is key to unlocking your business’s potential in growing community loyalty and your customer base. In this session, you’ll learn about proven concepts to grow your customer base and increase their loyalty to your store.
Presenter:
Shane Wilson, CEO, Fishing’s Future
2 PM – 6 PM
ICAST 2020 New Product Showcase is Open
Booth 5100
With voting complete, the Showcase is now open to all exhibitors and attendees.
4 PM – 6 PM
Social Hour in Exhibitors’ Booths
4:30 – 5:30 PM
6 PM – 7:30 PM
Chairman’s Industry Awards Reception
Sponsored by St. Croix Rods
Room N320
The “excitement factor” is felt throughout the ballroom as the 2021 “Best of Category” awards are presented.
8 AM – 5 PM
Registration Open
Registration is located in the North Hall Lobby – Rooms N220 B-E.
9 AM – 6 PM
Exhibition Open
9 AM – 6 PM
Lure Tank Open
Sponsored by Lunkerville
Show Floor
The showcase for the latest in hard and soft lures. See how lures preform underwater as well as on top of the water.
9 AM – 6 PM
ICASTing Pond Open
Show Floor
Get hands-on experience with some of the latest technology in spinning, baitcasting and fly reels for fresh and saltwater.
9 AM – Noon
New Product Showcase “Best of Show” Voting
Open to buyers and media editorial only
Booth 5100
Buyers and media will cast their votes for the “Best of Show” from Wednesday night’s 30 “Best of Category” winners.
9 AM – 6 PM
New Product Showcase
Open to all exhibitors and attendees
Booth 5100
11 AM – Noon
Lunch and Learn: The Death of the Third-Party Cookie: What Marketers Need to Know
Booth 633
Use of Google’s ad-tracking tools is about to dramatically change with their phase out of third-party cookies in 2022. In this session learn how these shifts will impact the way we currently do business online and how to use alternate solutions, such as first party data and contextual advertising, to successfully pivot digital marketing strategies.
Presenter:
Mark MacKenzie, Senior Director of Enthusiast Engagement, Bonnier Corporation
Noon – 1 PM
Lunch and Learn: How to Catch and Keep 2020’s New Anglers
Booth 633
In 2020, millions of new participants took to the water. RBFF executed a comprehensive study of America’s new anglers that shows how the face of outdoor recreation is changing. RBFF and select fishing industry members will share key insights from this research study and provide you with tools and resources your company can use to help convert these new anglers into customers, and to help retain your current customers.
Presenters:
Frank Peterson, President and CEO, Recreational Boating & Fishing Foundation, and your peers from the industry
1:00 – 2:00 p.m.
Lunch and Learn: Content Creation: The How To’s
Booth 633
There are a many resources available that will tell you what content creation is and what you need to do as a content creator; however, few of these offer specifics about how to do the things it takes to create dynamic, active content. This session focuses on the pragmatics. Attendees will walk away with a matter-of-fact skill set for creating – and circulating – content. This presentation will be of particular use to smaller companies that do not have dedicated content creators on staff.
Presenter:
Sid Dobrin, Co-owner Inventive Fishing; Chair, Department of English, University of Florida
2 PM – 2:30 PM
New Product Showcase “Best of Show” Award Presentation
Open to all exhibitors and attendees
Booth 5100
This is it! Be there for the ICAST 2021 New Product Showcase “Best of Show” award announcement.
2 PM – 3 PM
Lunch and Learn: Leveraging Direct Inventory Streams to Drive Sales – Online and In-Store
Booth 633
Struggling to maintain a website to accompany your brick-and-mortar store? Learn how to take advantage of your suppliers’ catalogs and real-time inventory to easily expand your business and offer online shopping. Also discover how industry leaders use direct inventory streams to dramatically enhance customers’ in-store shopping experience, all while driving down operation costs.
Presenter:
Chad Seaverns, Chief Operating Officer, Gearfire
4 PM – 6 PM
Social Hour in Exhibitors’ Booths
8 AM – 1 PM
Registration Open
Registration is located in the North Hall Lobby – Rooms N220 B-E.
9 AM – 3 PM
Exhibition Open
9 AM – Noon
New Product Showcase
Open to all exhibitors and attendees
Booth 5100
9 AM – 3 PM
Lure Tank Open
Sponsored by Lunkerville
Show Floor
The showcase for the latest in hard and soft lures. See how lures preform underwater as well as on top of the water.
9 AM – 3 PM
ICASTing Pond Open
Show Floor
Get hands-on experience with some of the latest technology in spinning, baitcasting and fly reels for fresh and saltwater.
11 AM – Noon
Lunch and Learn: Micro Influencers + Micro Content = Marketing Growth: Grow Your Customer’s Trust Through Influence Marketing
Booth 633
“Influencers” is mis-used in social media. Retailers need people who have INFLUENCE within their area, which means they are trusted and can sway people to act. Learn how to develop relationships with influential people, create an editorial strategy, leverage microcontent to grow your customers’ trust and increase your reach. Bonus: Speakers will give away a free Marketing & PR consultation to one lucky retailer who attends.
Presenters:
Angie Thompson, CEO, Fishnchik Creative
Dena Vick, CEO, King Eider Communications
Noon – 1:00 PM
Lunch and Learn: Our Passion has a Payoff: Recent Accomplishments of Federal Excise Tax Payments
Booth 633
Several hundred million dollars derived from manufacturers’ excise tax funds on select products and motorboat fuels are passed on to state fish and wildlife agencies each year. Gain a better understanding of how this decades-long partnership helps state agencies recruit more anglers, ensure more, healthy fish and provide access to fish and waterways for a successful and fun day on the water.
Presenter:
Tom Decker, Certified Wildlife Biologist and Fellow, TWS; Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Program/Partner with a Payer Initiative, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Noon – 2 PM
Social Hour in Exhibitors’ Booths
3 PM
Exhibition Closes
Note: The schedule is subject to change without prior notice.