Counter Culture

We heard a lot of different things at our appointments at this year’s ICSC convention in Las Vegas.

“People are busier than ever.” “There is significantly less traffic.” “We are totally booked with appointments.” “Not as many retailers are showing up.” “The downturn will end by the end of the year.” “It’s not getting better for at least another couple years.” “The consumer is bouncing back.” “Don’t expect apparel sales to improve any time soon.”
Continue reading ‘What Are Your RECon Thoughts?’

Though attendance at the International Council of Shopping Centers’ RECon event in Las Vegas seems a little lighter than years past, the convention is by no means slow.

When asking one person during a meeting today, Roy Higgs, the CEO of architecture firm Development Design Group, how he would describe the show’s climate, the answer was “the opposite of doom and gloom.”
Continue reading ‘The Opposite of Doom and Gloom.’

Do you ever feel kinda paranoid?

We do.

It seems that the media is to blame for a perceived lack of attendance at this year’s International Council of Shopping Centers spring convention, also called RECon. It’s hard for us to believe that anything we would write could possibly stop people from shopping at department stores or building lifestyle centers, but apparently that’s the case, according to one speaker here.
Continue reading ‘The Media Is Evil’

The International Council of Shopping Centers’ spring convention, now called RECon, kicks off on Sunday.

Local publications in various cities are already starting to cover the event, and we’ve had some pre-conference coverage here, and we’ll have plenty more of it during the show.

We aren’t sure what to expect when we arrive at the convention center. Every year we’ve gone, the retail real estate industry has seemed to thrive compared to the rest of the economy. But now many retailers’ sales are dismal and more than a few are cutting back their expansion plans.
Continue reading ‘What Are Your ICSC Predictions?’

This year’s International Council of Shopping Centers RECon convention later this month is coming at an interesting time. According to a Newsweek article, gaming revenues are down, room rates have dropped and the number of conventions has fallen by 10.4%.

Additionally, Tropicana Entertainment just filed for bankruptcy, and Wynn and Las Vegas Sands both had rough quarters.
Continue reading ‘It’s an Interesting Time to Visit Vegas.’

We’ve seen more and more e-mails lately regarding the International Council of Shopping Centers’ national convention in Las Vegas. Newly branded RECon, the event is the equivalent of a Grateful Dead concert for the industry.

We are again remiss in looking at our calendar, because, like every year, the damn thing has crept up on us. We’re exhausted just thinking about it.
Continue reading ‘ICSC Is…NEXT MONTH!?!?’