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Education Programming

ICAS Convention 2025 Seminars

Air Force Open House Workshop

Sunday, December 7th
8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

At its 2025 Convention, ICAS will once again offer a program specifically developed for and directed at U.S. Air Force personnel charged with planning, organizing and executing an air show open house at their bases.

Developed in cooperation with active-duty Air Force personnel and fine-tuned continuously during the past two decades, the program has been offered to nearly 5,000 civilian and military Air Force personnel since it was first conducted in 2002.

During a fast-paced, information-packed, one-day course, the Air Force Open House Workshop will offer a detailed and specific look at the most important aspects of Air Force policy on open houses and how they will impact your planning for events on your base in 2026, 2027 and beyond. This year’s program will provide information and instruction on:

• Purpose
• Planning
• Building, organizing and leading an effective open house team
• Budgeting/finance/funding
• Regulations, policy and guidance
• Operations/safety
• Marketing and publicity
• Hospitality
• Concessions
• Sponsorship
• Contracting
• Legal considerations
• Working with Force Support

Also included in the program will be a detailed review of the Critical Task Timeline developed by ICAS to guide Air Force personnel through a schedule and step-by-step explanation of what tasks need to be accomplished during the planning and organization of an Air Force open house.

In addition to the instruction and discussion, each participant will receive an instructional manual that includes all the relevant text from the power point slides used during the program, a detailed funding matrix to help Air Force personnel determine what type of money (APF vs. NAF vs. outside funding) can be used to pay for nearly every open house expense with which the Air Force project officer may be faced.

The fee for the one-day Air Force Air Shows Workshop is $345 through November 1, and $375 thereafter. This workshop fee is not included in your Convention registration.

Register here

 

Air Shows 101: Air/Ground Operations Training Workshop

Monday, December 8th
8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Event organizers face a steep learning curve when they are faced for the first time by the large number and wide variety of regulations, requirements, and recommendations related to putting on an air show. The Air Shows 101 Workshop has been designed and refined continuously over nearly 40 years to help make that process less difficult and easier to understand. This information-packed, comprehensive workshop features presentations on:

Timelines for initiating each aspect of your air show planning and execution;
Laying out your air show site;
Establishing early control of ground operations and support;
The pre-show operations briefing;
Mitigating hazards;
Key considerations related to your emergency response plan;
How to develop a traffic and parking plan;
Air show security;
Temporary flight restrictions;
Applying for an air show waiver and your responsibilities once it is approved;
The business aspects of air shows that relate most directly to air/ground operations;
Factors to consider when hiring performers;
Understanding, completing and submitting critical forms and applications related to air/ground operations; and
How to work with your assigned safety monitor.

Air Shows 101 is designed for newcomers and veterans alike. As a beginner, you’ll come away with a thorough introduction to the fundamentals of air show air/ground operations. And because information changes, Air Shows 101 is an ideal refresher course for those looking for a relevant and detailed update on critically air/ground operations issues.

If you’re looking for the very best place to start learning what you need to know about how to conduct a safe and successful air show or a place where you can refresh and update your air/ground operations knowledge, the Air Shows 101 Air/Ground Operations Workshop is the course you are looking for.

The fee for the one-day Air Shows 101 Air/Ground Operations Workshop is $345 if you pre-register by November 1, $375 if you register after that. This workshop is not included in your convention registration.

Register here

 

Selling Air Show Tickets in a Digital Age: A Digital Marketing Workshop

Monday, December 8th
8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Digital platforms have become the front line for building customer relationships and driving ticket sales, and air shows are no exception. This interactive half-day workshop is designed specifically for air show professionals who want to elevate their digital marketing game. Through real-world case studies, guided exercises, and hands-on demonstrations, you’ll learn how to create smarter campaigns that reach the right audiences, maximize ROI, and avoid common pitfalls.

Key areas of focus include:

Creating campaigns that leverage the unique aspects of air shows
Using audience segmentation and analytics to target with precision
Exploring dynamic and premium ticket pricing strategies
Expanding audience reach beyond the traditional channels
Transforming your data into actionable insights

Whether you’re just starting or looking to sharpen advanced tactics, you’ll walk away with practical tools and proven strategies to strengthen your digital presence, increase engagement, and boost ticket sales.

The fee for Selling Air Show Tickets in a Digital Age: A Digital Marketing Workshop is $125 through November 1, and $150 thereafter. This workshop fee is not included in your Convention registration.

Register here


 

Navigating Military Air Show Partnerships and Sponsorships Workshop

Monday, December 8th
9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

Now in its second year, this half-day workshop has been developed specifically for representatives of military air shows and open houses tasked with creating, securing and servicing sponsorships and other partnerships.



The program will explore the rules, policies, and restrictions that govern air show/open house partnerships on military bases; where military personnel can go to find the kind of companies and organizations most likely to be interested in partnering on a military air show/open house; the mindset and expectations of prospective corporate partners; key tools and tactics for attracting and activating partnerships and sponsorships on military facilities; and several examples of air show/open house sponsorships/partnerships to provide participants with helpful and illustrative examples of the wide range of opportunities available to them.



Workshop Outline:

Purpose of military show business partnerships
What do military air show partnerships look like?
U.S. Department of Defense policies and restrictions on partnerships/sponsorships
Websites and social media: What do sponsors want?
Where to look for military air show/open house partners/sponsors
Case studies


The Navigating Military Air Show Partnerships and Sponsorships Workshop is not included in your registration fee. The fee for this workshop is $250 through November 1. Starting November 1, the fee is $275.

Register here

 

Fee

The Navigating Military Air Show Partnerships and Sponsorships Workshop is NOT included in your registration fee. The fee for this workshop is $230 through November 1, 2024. Starting November 2, 2024, the fee is $255.

 

Air Show Sponsorship Workshop

Monday, December 8th
1:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Successful sponsorship programs share similar strategies, constructs and tools to generate compelling interest from potential sponsors. Refined each year to address new trends and the real-world needs of session participants, this half-day workshop will provide attendees with a step-by-step overview of best practices to develop and enhance your sponsorship program. The course will be led by Bruce Erley, a popular ICAS Convention speaker and highly-regarded sponsorship consultant who has worked in the air show business.



Workshop topics include how to "inventory" your assets; building and pricing benefits packages; proposal development; and sponsor service. You'll also learn about sponsorship terminology, recent trends in the event sponsorship business, and how to put your proposal in the hands of the decisions makers at prospective sponsoring companies/organizations.



This workshop will address:



1. Terminology;

2. Recent sponsorship trends and how they impact the air show industry;

3. The selling and activation of sponsorships;

4. How to audit your air show to ensure that you are leveraging all of the resources available to give your sponsors maximum return on their investment;

5. How to activate the sponsorships you sell and how to help your sponsors do their part in activating their own sponsorships;

6. How to assess "sponsorable" assets and assign a dollar value to both the individual assets and the overall sponsorship package; and

7. How to assemble a sponsorship package and put it in the hands of the decision makers at prospective sponsoring corporations/organizations.



The fee for this workshop is $250 through November 1 and $275 after November 1. This fee is NOT included in your convention registration fee.

Register here

 

Air Shows 102: Business Basics Workshop - Part 1 of 2

Tuesday, December 9th
1:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Air Shows 102 offers presentations by North America’s most respected air show event organizers, sharing business models from small, mid-size and large events to illustrate best practices in the field of air show management. The course is designed especially for event organizers from new or small shows as well as newly assigned officers and enlisted personnel taking on significant open house business responsibilities for the first time. Delivered at a fast pace by subject matter experts to provide you with an overview of key business issues, this course is ideal for those thrust into an air show management role for the first time.

Specific topics addressed during this two-part, eight-hour program include:

• Finance
• Sponsorship
• Hospitality
• volunteer and staff management
• Admissions and ticketing
• Marketing;
• Social media
• Facilities/logistics
• Concessions
• Hotel negotiations and management

Part One of this program will be offered on Tuesday, December 9 from 1:45 p.m. to 5:45 p.m. Part Two of the program will be offered on Wednesday, December 10 from 1:45 p.m. to 5:45 p.m.

The fee for Air Shows 102: Business Basics Workshop (Parts One and Two) is $345 through November 1 and $375 thereafter. This workshop is not included in your convention registration fee.

Register here