ICAST 2024 Set to Make a Permanent Impression on the Industry

Category winners signal full swing at ICAST 2024

By the time the fanfare of ICAST’s opening day began to wind down, a legion of exhibitors began steadily flowing into the ICAST Best of Category Awards Reception. Arguably the highlight of the show, the revamped awards reception featured an all-new stage and a grand room packed with manufacturers vying for a coveted “Best of Category” trophy and a ticket to compete for overall Best of Show in the New Product Showcase sponsored by Fishing Tackle Retailer.

In a concert-like atmosphere, winners made their way to a stage helmed by ASA President, Glenn Hughes, and Vice President of Communications Mary Beth Long. Together, the duo handed out 41 trophies and 41 coveted tickets to the Best of Show competition.

Click the button below to read the full list of this year’s winners.

The Best of Show winner for ICAST 2024 will be announced on Thursday at 2:00 p.m. at the New Product Showcase. Voting for Best of Show is open to Media Editorial and Buyer badge holders beginning at 9:00 a.m. Media opportunities with the Best of Show winner will take place immediately following the awards presentation.

Show Floor Offers Variety of Opportunities

Michael Letchworth wasn’t planning on getting a tattoo at ICAST, but before the first time attendee walked out of the Orange County Convention Center on Wednesday, he found himself under the tattoo gun.

“It was just kind of spontaneous on my part,” Letchworth said, as a brand new sailfish emerged on his leg courtesy of Bajio Sunglasses and Shamrock Tattoo artist, Casey Anderson. “I saw the social media post that they were doing a one-stop shop for haircuts and tattoos in the booth and thought it would be a good way to break up the day.” Now, the North Carolina custom tackle dealer is guaranteed to leave the world’s largest sportfishing trade show with a permanent souvenir from his journey.

As a crowd gathered around Baijio’s booth to watch Anderson ink attendees on one side of the show floor, another first time attendee fielded questions on the other side of the show. At a 10×10 booth nestled next to the ICAST Lunch & Learn area, Expece founder Alex Rodriguez debuted a waterproof fishing drone. Beside a television airing videos of the drone splashing into the Atlantic Ocean, Rodriguez raved over his first day at the show.

“I can tell you that I’m going to be at ICAST every year for the foreseeable future,” said Rogriguez. “Today was our launch day. It’s the first time anyone is seeing this particular product, and from what I’m already seeing—this is our crowd.”

Rodriguez said other versions of his company’s drones are already being used to catch sharks on the Atlantic Coast, but the connections he’s able to make at ICAST will help his business find ways to partner with organizations that can help put the drones in the hands of conservation experts as well.

Nearby, Raymarine Technical Marketing Director Jim Hands spent his afternoon giving demonstrations of the marine electronics company’s new integration with Power-Pole trolling motors. Unlike Letchworth and Rodriguez, Hands is on what he estimates is his 12th ICAST show. “I love seeing all of the latest gear and technology,” said Hands. “That’s what makes this show unique. I get excited about all of the new gear, just like everyone else, but I also love catching up with all of the industry colleagues I’ve met over the years.”

As ICAST ramped into full swing on Wednesday, attendees took a break from browsing the bustling show floor by absorbing talks on industry trends, artificial intelligence and content creation at the Lunch & Learn area sponsored by Quantum. With each session seemingly drawing a bigger crowd than the last, the ICAST content creator team took the stage for a roundtable discussion on the state of social media and best practices for brands to generate interest in their online messaging. Katie Jo Buchanan, Patricia Clement, Tiffany Risch, Anastasia Patterson and Jake Hutcheson fielded questions from a packed crowd, perhaps none as surprising as those from TikTok Shop Category Manager Carlos Bermudez-Khan.

By mid-afternoon, some attendees were still buzzing about this year’s State of the Industry Breakfast. Headlined by keynote speaker and inspiration author Seb Terry, the breakfast spotlighted industry trends while motivating a crowded ballroom, as Terry regaled the audience with tales of global travel, personal loss and a journey of self discovery. Terry’s talk followed an in-depth breakdown of the overall health of the sportfishing industry by ASA President Glenn Hughes that seemed to fuel water cooler chat in between meetings throughout the show floor.