ICAS Opens 2020 Convention Registration

Today, registration for the 2020 ICAS Convention opened. (Click here to begin the online registration process.)

The convention will be held on December 8, 9, and 10 at the Paris Hotel in Las Vegas. Available only between now and July 25, the “very early bird” discount reduces the standard registration fee to $495. With the $100 rebate that delegates receive when they reserve a room in the ICAS block at the Paris Hotel, that brings the registration fee down to $395, a rate that hasn’t been offered for ICAS Convention registration since 2001.

A PRESSING NEED

Although the pandemic is evolving and changing almost daily, many members have reached out to ICAS headquarters to tell us that they expect a robust recovery for the air show industry next year and they see attendance at the 2020 ICAS Convention as an important first step in that process. In a survey conducted among a broad cross-section of nearly 200 ICAS members in late spring, more than two-thirds said that – if asked to decide that day – they would make the decision to attend the ICAS Convention in December.

ICAS intends to serve its members with a convention that meets the specific needs of the air show community at this unique and critical time in its history. In 2021, air shows in the United States, Canada, and around the world will be conducted in a fundamentally different environment than they were previously. At the 2020 ICAS Convention, members will get the information they need to understand and work within this new and unfamiliar situation. 

GUIDELINES

Conducting the event in an environment that minimizes the exposure of all members to the virus will be a key focus of this year’s convention. ICAS has already developed Public Health Policies and Protocols that will continue to evolve as planning for the convention moves forward and circumstances related to the pandemic change. Developed in cooperation with other event associations and the Paris Las Vegas Hotel, the guidelines reflect emerging consensus on “best practices” for the events industry and will be adjusted by ICAS as the situation evolves. “It’s important that all of our delegates know that we are taking steps to help keep them safe while we are together in Las Vegas,” says ICAS President John Cudahy.

NEW REFUND POLICY

ICAS has changed its cancellation refund policy to reflect the realities of planning during a pandemic. Until Wednesday, December 2 at 5:00 p.m. EST, any convention registration fees paid to ICAS for the 2020 Convention will be fully refundable. No fees. No penalties. No questions. And members who become sick or believe they have been exposed to the virus may cancel their registration and receive a full refund up until the day before the convention. If you are interested in attending the December event, but concerned that your circumstances may change between now and then, you may register with full confidence that you can cancel up until six days before the first day of the convention and receive a full refund.

And, if you make your reservation withing the ICAS block of rooms at the Paris Hotel, you will not be charged anything when you make that reservation and, if you cancel your reservation three days or more before your first night, you will not be charged any fee or penalty. (Click here to learn more about hotel sleeping room rates and/or to make a reservation in the ICAS block of rooms for the 2020 Convention.)

A RECONFIGURED PROGRAM

The 2020 convention will be a day shorter (2.5 days vs. 3.5 in 2019). It will include wider aisles in the exhibit hall, physical distancing in the classroom sessions, and the elimination of the traditional Wednesday afternoon awards luncheon. Break-out education presentations will be 45 minutes long (rather than 60) and the convention will include a total of 9.5 hours of exhibit time (vs. 10.5 in 2019).  The education program will feature the forums, workshops and other sessions that the air show community relies on, but will also include discussions and presentations on issues related to running an air show business in the post-COVID environment.

PREPARING FOR RECOVERY

Just as it has been since 1967, the ICAS Convention is about planning for the future. And that planning has never been more critical than now. Air show veterans believe that the 2021 air show season will be one of the most successful in recent memory.  Pent-up demand, the wide-open spaces of an air show ramp, and the public’s unquenchable fascination with aerial entertainment will produce large crowds of enthusiastic spectators throughout the United States, Canada, and around the world.

WITH EYES WIDE OPEN

Like many of the event organizers who have planned shows for 2020, ICAS leadership and staff recognize that the realities of the pandemic may disrupt our plans for the convention in December. Even as we concentrate our full attention on developing a schedule and program for our live convention on December 8, 9, and 10, we will be building contingency plans for alternatives if circumstances require. For now, though, we are focused on welcoming you to Las Vegas 21 weeks from now for the 53^rd annual ICAS Convention, an event that will allow us to reconvene as a community and plan for the recovery in which we will all participate during the 2021 air show season.

REGISTER FOR THE 2020 CONVENTION TODAY