ICSC RECon Packed with Optimism
Las Vegas hosted the annual ICSC RECon Conference last week – the largest retail real estate convention in the world. This year had more than 35,000 attendees and a record number of individual companies. Most attendees were packed with meetings and the tradeshow floor was bustling with activity.
The retail industry has definitely picked up momentum over the last few months and with the number of prospective sites and development renderings being displayed, it appears the next few years should be busy. Many of the receptions and parties were back in full swing and the overall atmosphere was more upbeat. News on the home front was good as the Georgia contingent was represented by around 1,000 attendees.
LandAir Surveying was busy discussing many new projects and exploring ways to assist in gathering as-built documentation. Two things I took away from the project discussions were:
First, there is work out there and people are looking to make things happen! Deals are being done and getting valuable information into the hands of the parties doing the deals is in high demand.
Secondly, because people need as-builts of existing space, this signifies that redevelopment is still very predominant. Many of the deals I saw represented in booths were infill projects, urban development and Transit Oriented Development (TOD).
While retail, and for that matter the economy as a whole, is not yet back to pre-recession days; there were many positive trends on display at the ICSC RECon Conference. Let’s hope this trend continues!
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Mitch Dorsett has over 15 years in the building and construction industry and serves as director of business development for LandAir Surveying. Mitch is rapidly becoming an expert in 3D data capture and virtual design and construction, having attended and represented LandAir’s laser scanning capabilities at SPAR, RTC and Autodesk University in 2012. Contact him at mdorsett@lasurveying.com or visit www.landairsurveying.com.