Content about Las Vegas, Nevada

For the first time in quite some time, attendees at the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) Spring Convention in Las Vegas (RECon) might be hoping that what happens in Vegas doesn’t stay in Vegas. There is no doubt in my mind that all the signs are pointing to an event that looks very different than the last few years. The convention runs from Sunday, May 19th through Wednesday, May 22nd at the Las Vegas Convention Center, and will play host to more than 30,000 attendees, around 1,000 exhibitors, and a renewed sense of enthusiasm about the future of our industry.

Dallas -- The Howard Hughes Corp. and Dillard’s announced that the department store is the latest anchor to be part of The Shops at Summerlin, in West Las Vegas Valley. Dillard’s will build a two-level, 200,000-sq.-ft. foot in the center, with opening scheduled for fall 2014.

A heat wave washed over Las Vegas just in time for the International Council of Shopping Centers’ annual RECon event May 20-23 — and the mood inside the Las Vegas Convention Center was just as elevated.

“I am very bullish on this year’s RECon,” said Andy Graiser, co-president of A&G Realty Partners, Melville, N.Y. “Growth is becoming evident in most all categories, and it’s smart growth.”

Las Vegas -- SkyVue, a 500-sq.-ft. observation wheel taking shape on the Las Vegas Strip, across from Mandalay Bay, has completed the first phase of construction, and has begun excavation on its retail and dining components.

Each side of the wheel will feature a 50,000-sq.-ft. LED screen (the largest in the world), that will host concerts, sporting events, product launches and more. The two-story shopping and dining experience will feature 140,000 sq. ft. of retail space, a 21,000-sq.-ft. convention facility and a food court.

Las Vegas -- On Monday morning, RECon 2012, the International Council of Shopping Centers’ annual retail real estate convention in Las Vegas, kicks off with an expected 31,000+ attendees from around the globe.

Running through Wednesday, May 23, RECon will encompass three halls of the Las Vegas Convention Center – or over 1 million sq. ft. – with more than 1,000 companies exhibiting and highlights such as The Cities of the World Pavilion and a keynote presentation by Leslie H. Wexner, founder of Limited Brands.
 

Fort Worth, Texas -- Customer analytics firm Buxton announced it will officially launch the latest version of its real estate and analytics platform at the International Council of Shopping Centers RECon show in Las Vegas later this month.

SCOUT 3.0 is a cloud-based, data visualization and analytics tool used by executives in the retail industry to execute real estate and marketing strategies. The platform includes dashboard capabilities for C-level executives to see performance across their entire organization via mobile/tablet technology.

As retail real estate professionals from around the world prepare for the annual RECon convention in Las Vegas, it seems pretty clear to me that the anticipation for this year’s event is on the rise. This is a noticeable change from some recent years, where the recession eliminated any enthusiasm we once saw in the “glory days.”

Las Vegas -- McDonald’s has opened its first and only location under the Metro McDonald’s banner, in downtown Las Vegas.

The two-level, 6,734-sq.-ft. space is located on Las Vegas Boulevard, next to Planet Hollywood Resort Casino’s Miracle Mile Shops. The new McDonald’s boasts 24-hour service, digital menu boards and WiFi access. The contemporary-looking interior is bright and vibrant, with sleek furniture and graffiti-like murals.

New York — U.K. fashion retailer Topshop in March will open its third U.S. location, a 20,000-sq.ft. Topshop/Topman flagship in Las Vegas’ Fashion Show Mall.  

 As previously reported,  the company’s second U.S. store is due to open this fall, in Chicago. 

Last year, Las Vegas was flooded with 25,000 retailer and shopping center executives in search of positive news and a few stray deals.


At this year’s International Council of Shopping Centers’ annual RECon event, held May 22 to 25 at the Las Vegas Convention Center, deal-making took top billing. And that’s just part of the good news.


As part of our ongoing coverage of RECon, the annual retail real estate convention conducted by the International Council of Shopping Centers and held May 22-25 in Las Vegas, Chain Store Age talked with Andy Graiser, co-president of DJM Realty, a Gordon Brothers Group company, based in Melville, N.Y., about his key takeaways from RECon 2011.

Now that RECon 2011 has drawn to a close and we are all settling back into our daily work routines, what are your key takeaways from this year’s show?

Final attendance numbers aren’t available yet, and while RECon 2011 may not have been the really, really big show it was in 2007, the International Council of Shopping Centers’ annual Las Vegas convention was clearly a big event.

Pre-recession, the show attracted in excess of 50,000 retailers, retail service providers and shopping center executives to view the latest and greatest projects coming out of the ground. This year’s May 23 to 25 iteration didn’t pull 50k, but best guesses put attendance at over 30,000.