Following discussions about the co-location of the International Fly Tackle Dealer Show and ICAST at the recent American Sportfishing Association’s annual business meeting, G.Loomis will exhibit at both venues next July in Las Vegas, announces Carey Graves, fishing tackle division vice president for Shimano American Corp. and its G.Loomis and PowerPro brands.
“We are fully supportive of the American Fly Fishing Tackle Association’s co-location of its IFTD Show with ICAST,” said Graves, “and it’s the right thing to do on our part to be part of IFTD. We’ve been a member of AFFTA since its inception, with Jim Lebson, our executive director at the G.Loomis manufacturing facility in Woodland, Wash., serving on the AFFTA Board for a number of years.”
Graves, who also serves as chairman of the ASA Trade Show committee, mentioned the ICAST/IFTD co-location was a major agenda topic for both his and the Communications committee at the ASA Business Summit held Oct. 9-11 in Hilton Head, S.C. AFFTA president Ben Bulis and ICAST show director Ken Andres presented reports to both committees outlining how registration procedures, media room co-location and product showcase plans are progressing.
“We applaud G.Loomis for taking this extra step and securing booth space at both IFTD and ICAST,” said Bulis. “The G.Loomis presence in the fishing rod industry – with its large selection of freshwater and saltwater models for both fly and spin/cast anglers, justifies their need to be part of both shows. And we’ll do all we can to assist in their success with those dealers, buyers and media interested in fly tackle.”
According to Josh Linn, fly rod sales manager for G.Loomis, the rod manufacturer will display all its new spin, cast and fly rods, along with apparel and accessories at ICAST. For its IFTD exhibit, every G.Loomis fly rod will be shown, “plus we’ll have many of our new fly rods rigged-and-ready for dealers to try out on the IFTD Show casting,” said Linn.
