The International Council of Shopping Center (ICSC) RECon event takes place every year in Las Vegas, Nevada. This annual event brings together more than 30,000 developers, brokers, tenants and owners from all over the world to the Las Vegas Convention Center. If you (or anybody you know) do anything involving retail shopping centers, it’s a must-attend event.
Attending the conference can be expensive, but well worth the cost as an investment in your business. With some advanced planning, you can minimize the cost, and still have a positive impact on your business. In fact, just going to ICSC RECon says that you take the business seriously.
As an experienced attendee, let me give you some pointers.
- To reduce attendance costs, consider bunking up with a friend or co-worker to save on hotel cost. Book your airline flight early to get the best rate. Make certain to attend the lunch and breakfast sessions where you’ll get a free meal (included in the registration fee) while getting to hear insightful and educational speakers talk about some of the challenging issues facing retail environments.
- Wear comfortable shoes. You can always tell the first timers– it’s the women in high-heels and the men in leather soled penny loafers.
- Bring lots of business cards, more than you think you might need.
- Get on the phone now and start booking appointments with the folks you want face time with. That’s what the convention is all about. Go to the 2013 RECon website and access the list of registrants, which includes their contact information. Don’t assume that if they’re not registered, that they will not be attending. Call them!
The convention is spread out over several different halls– North Hall, Central Hall and two levels in the South Hall. Walking through thousands of people and going from one hall to the other can take 30 minutes. Try and book together all your appointments in one hall. - Do not bring lots of flyers, brochures, or marketing packages. Bring one copy, maybe two, to show folks that you’re meeting with, but don’t leave a copy with them, since it will never make it back to their office and it gives you a reason to follow-up afterward. Also, this will eliminate the need to lug around a briefcase. It may be even better to bring along a tablet, since you can use it to show important information to your contacts.
- Stay focused, stay hydrated and stay sober. Being in Las Vegas brings about all kinds of distractions. If you’re making the costly investment to attend, be smart and use your time wisely.
Need more information? More pointers? Download floor plans? See who’s attending the event? Visit the show website by clicking here. See you in Las Vegas!
Prepared by:
Council Chair of Retail Properties
Phoenix, AZ
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