Thirty new products set to square off for ICAST overall “Best of Show” today
Orange County Convention Center, Orlando, FL – July 21, 2022 – Last night, the ICAST 2022 “Best of Category” winners were announced during the Chairman’s Industry Awards Reception, sponsored by St. Croix Rod. The recreational fishing industry’s brightest stars gathered beneath the stage lights to see which products would carry home one of the coveted ICAST awards selected by credentialed buyers and media at the industry’s largest trade show.
“The nice thing about these awards is that they are accolades from your peers,” said the American Sportfishing Association’s (ASA) Chairman Jesse Simpkins, VP of Marketing for St. Croix Rod. “They recognize the hard work, effort and ingenuity that goes into the product.”
This year, more than 900 new products were entered in 30 categories. On Thursday, those winners will go head-to-head in voting to determine the overall “Best of Show” winner—an honor reserved for the pinnacle of new products with the greatest chance to impact sportfishing’s future.
After launching on July 19 with Super Tuesday, ICAST, the premier annual event for the global recreational fishing tackle industry, is now in full swing through Friday, July 22. ASA, the show’s producer, is a national, non-profit trade association whose member companies share a stake in promoting sportfishing for the well-being of their businesses and to grow recreational fishing.
Today at 2:00 p.m., the ICAST 2022 overall “Best of Show” award will be presented inside the New Product Showcase at the Orange County Convention Center.
“One of the winners told me he spent 365 days on this,” said ASA President Glenn Hughes. “Then, he told me that he is starting on next year’s tomorrow. That’s how much this means to some manufacturers.”
All New Product Showcase entries are available for viewing on the ICAST app for Apple and Android devices.
On Wednesday, the Chairman’s Industry Awards Reception was preceded by a full day of festivities, including the State of the Industry Breakfast featuring keynote speaker and shark attack survivor Paul de Gelder. De Gelder warmed up the packed ballroom with tales of personal perseverance and survival amidst an irreverent backdrop that sent attendees into the show on a high note.
By mid-day, the Keep America Fishing Dunk Tank was causing a stir across the show floor thanks to Bassmaster Elite Series professional anglers Matt Robertson and Brandon Palaniuk, who taunted fellow pros and fans gathered to take their shot at splashing them in the tank for a cause.
It all served as a prelude to the highlight of the day, the Chairman’s Industry Awards Reception where Hughes presented 30 lucky winners with hard-earned recognition and the chance to take home Thursday’s overall “Best of Show” award, the sportfishing trade’s top prize.
ICAST 2022 New Product Showcase Best of Category WinnersFor product details, images and other information please contact the individual award winners’ contacts listed below.
