ICAS Opens Registration for 2016 Convention | May 18th, 2016 |
 LEESBURG, Va. - ICAS headquarters opened registration for its 2016 convention today just as air show season gets into full swing. The 49th Annual ICAS Convention takes place December 5 - 8, 2016, at Paris Las Vegas on the famous Las Vegas Strip. Current active ICAS members wishing to take advantage of the lowest standard registration fee are encouraged to go to: http://www.airshows.aero/Page/ConventionRegistration The least expensive way to attend the ICAS Convention is to take advantage of the early registration rate, which expires July 31, and stay in the ICAS room block at Paris Las Vegas. The association’s staff members began planning the 2016 convention almost immediately following the end of last year’s event, according to John Cudahy, ICAS president and CEO. “It’s been exactly 162 days since the end of last year’s program,” said Cudahy. “I don’t think there’s been a work day since then that the staff hasn’t discussed the 2016 convention in some way and put another small piece into place.” The 2016 convention will feature nearly 50 hour-long educational breakout sessions, four exhibit hall sessions with a 20 percent increase in exhibit time over 2015, the third iteration of the ICAS Pinnacle Awards program, and its Chairman’s Banquet finale recognizing top achievers in the North American air show business during 2016. Other popular workshops and seminars will return, as well, including the Air Force Open House Workshop, Air Shows 101 and 102, the Sponsorship for Events Workshop and Air Boss 201. These five seminars and workshops are not included in the initial registration fee and carry an extra fee in order to participate. ICAS has negotiated a $129 per night room rate at Paris Las Vegas for the 2016 convention. Members staying at Paris Las Vegas under the ICAS room block will not be required to pay the otherwise mandatory Resort Fee of $32 plus tax ($35.84) per night. “We also want our members to know that registered convention delegates who stay at Paris Las Vegas in the ICAS room block will receive an added benefit,” said Cudahy. “They will receive a $100 hotel credit applied to their hotel bill. The credit will appear on delegates’ hotel bills upon check out.” But be aware, he added, delegates staying at other hotels or staying at Paris Las Vegas, but not in the ICAS room block, will not receive the $100 credit on their hotel bill. When making reservations for the 2016 ICAS Convention and to qualify for the $100 hotel credit, members should click this link: https://resweb.passkey.com/go/SPICA6 and use Group Code SPICA6. Commonly referred to as the “heartbeat of the air show industry,” the ICAS Exhibit Hall will showcase over 200 exhibitors in the 60,000-square-foot Paris Ballroom. Members who want to gain visibility and highlight their product or service should reserve their space as soon as possible with Mary Ann McManamay at ICAS headquarters. Booth sales are running about nine percent ahead of this time last year. “It’s no secret that the ICAS Convention is where the business of air shows gets done, whether it’s on the exhibit hall floor, the hotel hallways or the ICAS bar,” Cudahy said. “Every year, almost every air show professional from across North America, and many from beyond, gathers together in Las Vegas to plan the next season and discover what new, exciting elements we can inject into the air show experience.” Nearly 1,300 air show professionals attended the 2015 convention and expectations are even higher for 2016. If you’re thinking about coming to the ICAS Convention and have any questions, members can refer to the convention’s Frequently Asked Questions page on the ICAS website or call Marcia Lowry at ICAS headquarters at 703-779-8510. ###
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