ICAST attendance surges past 12,000 mark

Attendance at ICAST 2022 passed 12,000 before 2pm on Day Two. That’s more than 1,200 over the attendance recorded last year, with almost a full day of the show still to go.

The stat-busting trade event has also attracted visitors from all 50 US states for the first time, while international visitors eclipsed pre-Covid show numbers and exhibitor numbers are 90 up on last year.

Add to that the fact the 900-plus entries for the New Product Showcase are 250 higher than last year and it’s clear that the industry has responded hugely to the world’s biggest fishing tackle trade show.

“I believed we were going to have a better show than last year but that kind of improvement is terrific,” said Blake Swango, the American Sportfishing Association’s VP for Trade Show and Membership. “And the rise in new product entries is clear evidence that everybody out there is spending more on R&D.”

Well-known PR figure, John Mazurkiewicz, long-time Chairman of the ASA’s Communication’s Committee, was laughing all the way to the bar after winning a bet that was rumoured to have involved some very expensive bourbon. “I was confident we would top 12,000,” he told Angling international.

Swango had special mention for Best of Show winner Brian McKinnon, saying: “The industry has recognised how cool and different Brian’s PacBak Combo Cooler is. Winning  this award has changed the man’s life.”