10 Survival Lessons from ICSC RECON

If you weren’t at RECON – the annual Mecca of the International Council of Shopping Centers in Las Vegas – you missed a terrific show. Every year (well, every year since 2009), this event seems to get bigger and bigger. As this was my 4th consecutive trip, I thought I would share some lessons, other than the usual business building tips, that prove very beneficial to getting the most out of this investment of time and money.

ICSC Recon | Survival Tips To Live By

In this article:

1. Be Like Herman Monster
2. McDonald’s Coffee
3. Refresh at the American Express Club
4. Give Yourself Time to Eat
5. Attend the Late Afternoon Parties
6. Workout Every Morning
7. Stay Till Wednesday
8. What Happens at ICSC CanNOT Stay at ICSC
9. Have a Plan B
10. Walk the Hallways with Your Head Up

 

1. Be Like Herman Monster

I broke my foot earlier this year and had the choice of wearing nice dress shoes and being in pain the entire event, or buy “dress walking shoes.” These block looking shoes were without a doubt the ugliest pair of shoes I have ever purchased. In all prior years, I would be crawling to a massage therapist for relief the day after RECON. This year, I found I could meet more people, be fresh and energetic and close more client engagements.

2. McDonald’s Coffee

McDonald’s is the place to go in the morning before you start your meetings. South Hall, Q Street and 30th (I think) was well worth the line for a free cup of coffee to get you going for the day.

3. Refresh at the American Express Club

You will need an AmEx Business Open or Platinum card to get inside. Located between the Central and North Halls, this is a great place to refresh, get some light snacks and charge your phone. This place, however, gets too crowded for meetings.

4. Give Yourself Time to Eat

Our meetings started at 8 and ended at 6, every hour on the hour. Thank goodness for Jersey Mikes free subs on Q Street and 47th in the South Hall or we would have never made it. The free Auntie Anne’s Pretzels across from Jersey Mike’s certainly helped as well.

5. Attend the Late Afternoon Parties

As mentioned earlier, we had meetings scheduled all afternoon and found some very productive conversations occur while simultaneously attending several cocktail parties, including CCIM, Calkain, CBC, and others. These are great opportunities to enhance current client relationships and initiate new ones.

6. Workout Every Morning

OK, this is easier for us East Coasters, but really, what a great way to start the long days of meetings. I love when the elevator doors open on the lobby floor as I stand there in my running shoes ready to go, and inevitably, there is some group wobbling back in after a long night/early morning party experience. If you’ve never run the Strip at 6 am, you are in for a real treat.

7. Stay Till Wednesday

This is mostly applicable for those who are in leasing. It seems most of the owners and investment brokers vacate on Tuesday; however, ICSC mandates all exhibitors maintain their booths until the end of the show late Wednesday. What this means is, as a leasing broker or developer, you have easier access to your targeted decision makers.

8. What Happens at ICSC CanNOT Stay at ICSC

Unlike your late night activities away from the exposition hall, everything you do at ICSC must go home with you. You need a plan to follow up with every person you’ve met with and every lead you secured. It wouldn’t hurt to add a pile of thank you letters to your to-do list this weekend.

9. Have a Plan B

When someone cancels on you, and someone will if you pre-schedule enough meetings, have a list of people you want to see but do not have a meeting with. For me, I tried to shake hands with every President/CEO of the national CRE firms, and also had a complete list of all our active and inactive clients that were attending the show. Just leaving my card with the respective booth receptionist was enough to simply leave a touch, and an impression.

10. Walk the Hallways with Your Head Up

Without a doubt, this is where you will reconnect with a great number of people. I personally ran into no less than 20 active and inactive clients, and initiated 2 strategic deals with other folks I “bumped into.” My partner/brother ran into a frat brother he had not seen in 30 years! Pick your head up and away from your phones. Those emails aren’t going anywhere, but your next big deal may walk right by.

 

Here are some highlights from ICSC Recon in this video by The Real Deal:

For those readers looking for more specific feedback from the expo floor – here it is. Folks are concerned about the direction of legislation after the November election. More so than at any other time that I could remember. People are preparing for a slowdown (probably one of the reasons we had so many requests to discuss our coaching). The time to improve yourself is not when you wish you had. The time is now. For a free consultation on your current position and how we can assist in building your personal CRE business, please click here.

Will I go to RECON next year? Absolutely! In fact, we already agreed to stay an extra day and formalize a client event. Regardless of how many days we end up attending, I can guarantee you this; I will be the one wearing Herman Monster’s shoes!

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Up Next:  3 Proven Keys to Commercial Real Estate Success

 

Editor’s Note – This post was originally published on May 26, 2016, and has been updated for quality and relevancy.