1.                   Everybody in one place at one time under one roof. Virtually without exception, they’re all there. We call it an “air show immersion experience.” For four days, the people and conversations are all air show, all the time. Newbies and veterans. Military event organizers and civilian event organizers. Support service providers and performers. For four days in December, they’ll all be at the Rio All-Suites Hotel for you to meet, get to know, conduct business with, and learn from.
 

2.                   Borman and Anders. Colonel Frank Borman (USAF, retired) and Major General Bill Anders (USAF, retired) will help get the 2008 ICAS Convention off to a memorable start on the morning
of December 9 when they give us a behind-the-scenes look at their historic Apollo 8 mission to the moon and back in December of 1968. Moderated by CNN anchor/reporter Miles O’Brien, our opening session is – all by itself – reason enough to make plans now to join us in Las Vegas.
 

3.                   The ICAS Convention Will Save You Time, Money and Headaches. Everything about the ICAS Convention is
structured to help convention delegates generate the ideas, contacts, processes and knowledge necessary to improve the effective-ness, efficiency and profitability of their air show businesses.  Make no mistake about it: fun is fun, but the reason the ICAS Convention has prospered throughout its 42-year history is that it represents the single most effective and efficient business tool available to air show professionals.
 

4.                   The Exhibit Hall. Widely recognized as the largest hiring hall in the entire events industry, the ICAS convention exhibit hall is not just the center of activity for the ICAS Convention; it’s the epicenter of the entire North American air show business for a
few days every December. New relationships are begun. Old friendships are renewed. Deals are negotiated. Plans are finalized. Business is conducted. If you work in the air show business,
there is no more efficient or effective way to get your business done than to walk onto that exhibit hall floor.
 

5.                   Networking. Our members recognize that the informal conversations that go on during these events are a treasure
trove of new ideas, useful insights, and new perspectives. Every year, members rate these networking opportunities as one of the most important aspects of the ICAS Convention.
 

6.                   More Education Sessions. The 2008 ICAS Convention will include more than 70 hours of educational sessions, from hour-long presentations to day-long training seminars and everything in between. That’s more learning opportunities than any ICAS Convention ever.
 

7.                   New Challenges Require New Approaches. For the first time
in a generation, the environment in which air shows are
organized and conducted has fundamentally changed. Some of the changes are helpful; some are not, but many of your air show colleagues have already tackled and solved the challenges that you’ll be facing during the coming year. The 2008 ICAS Convention will provide you with the contacts, updates and tactics you need to begin planning for your 2009 air show with confidence. You can join us in Las Vegas to learn from the both their successes and failures or you can go it alone.
 

8.                   More Advanced-Level Education Sessions. This year’s convention will include a full-slate of education programming directed specifically at our more experienced members.  For
event organizers, we’ll have “graduate level” sessions on leadership, sponsorship, websites, marketing, ticket management, and more.
 

9.                   Fun, but Focused. That’s how one veteran member of ICAS recently described the annual convention. It’s everything you’d expect from a four-day event in Las Vegas with 1,700 air show people. War stories. Late nights. Lots of laughing. Social events designed to help ensure that members have a chance to meet
and talk. A whole lot of fun. But our convention delegates work just as hard as they play. This year’s ICAS Convention will include 63 separate educational sessions and more than 200 exhibiting companies on 60,000 square feet of exhibit floor.
 

10.               More Learning Opportunities for Air Show Performers. We’ve dramatically increased the learning and education opportunities for air show pilots. In response to your specific requests, we’ve developed a brand-new schedule of educational sessions with topics ranging from human factors, advanced tactics in maneuver sequence development, media training, and
a special two-hour session on pilot personality as a flight safety variable. On Monday, December 8, we’ll also hold the three and one-half hour Pilot Safety De-Brief, a unique opportunity for the entire community of air show pilots to get together and discuss safety-related issues of common concern.