In early 2018, the North East Council of Air Shows (NECAS), North West Council of Air Shows (NWCAS) and South West Council of Air Shows (SWCAS) all held their annual regional conferences to discuss industry issues, promote their events, take part in educational sessions and network.
From January 26 to 28, NECAS held its annual conference at the Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station in Niagara Falls, New York. Aerobatic pilot Jacquie B. Warda was the keynote speaker, ICAS President John Cudahy presented on his “Top Ten Ideas for Air Show Professionals,” and Stephanie Stricklen spoke on how air shows can solve the industry’s sustainability crisis.
The two-day NWCAS conference took place on March 2 and 3 at the Hilton Hotel in Seattle, Washington. The convention agenda included sessions by Transport Canada, Air Combat Command (ACC), pilot and organizer breakout sessions, and Brice Van Baren’s “Digital World to Real World” presentation. The conference concluded Saturday night with a cocktail and dinner event at the Museum of Flight.
The SWCAS regional conference was held February 9 and 10 at the Wyndham San Diego Bayside Hotel, where air show professionals met to discuss a number of industry and regional topics. Some of the conference’s speakers included ICAS President John Cudahy, U.S. Air Force ACC Flyover Scheduler Lawrence “Larry” Schleser, Lt. Col. Giuseppe “Joe” Stavale and warbird pilot and ACE John Collver. The event included a Friday Night Reception, Saturday conference meeting and Saturday Night Dinner Cruise for its delegates.
Tentative dates and schedules for the 2019 regional conferences are in the works. Visit necas.org, nwcas.org or swcas.org for more details and updates.
