helpful tips to prepare you for icsc re con
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Tips on preparing for the ICSC ReConTRANSCRIPT
Helpful Tips to Prepare You for ICSC RECon
One of the biggest commercial real estate conventions is coming up: ICSC RECon at the Las
Vegas Convention Center on May 18-20. As an attendee for the last several years, I’ve compiled
some tips to help you have the best experience.
Excess Time for Appointments
RECon is the perfect opportunity to drum up new business, forge new relationships or enhance
existing ones. There are thousands (roughly 45,000) people attending that are somehow related
to commercial real estate…make sure you set your appointments.
Give yourself time between meetings – I’ve made the mistake of giving myself 15 minutes or
less for the next appointment. Even if your appointment is at your company’s booth, still give
yourself 15 minutes for idle chit-chat that always seems to happen. If your next appointment is
at another booth, give yourself at least 30 minutes to make the trek to that location. Trust me on
that one.
It seems like meetings at RECon don’t ever start on time; because someone gets trapped in
another meeting, or it takes longer to walk to a booth, or you stop for a quick bite to eat and the
line was a little long…but if you know this going to happen, you can try your best to be on time,
or at least set your expectations for your day and know that the person you are meeting with may
be late.
Appointments / Vendors Mapped
RECon is huge, there are various sections in the enormous conference center. It is one of the
largest convention centers in the world with 3,200,000 SF. Download the programbefore you
get to the show and physically map out where your appointments are or Vendors you’d like to
speak with. You will get a nice surprise if you are in the South Hall and your next appointment
is in North Hall. Like everything in Vegas, it seems like it is a hop-skip-and-a-jump away…but
in reality, it is a decent hike.
Cocktails Scheduled
At RECon, there are tons of opportunities for Cocktail hours. If your company is throwing one,
make sure you take the time to invite your clients. Give them clear instructions on how to get to
your booth (utilizing the number and street location gets confusing). Tell them who you are next
to, etc. If you get invited to a few cocktail hours, attend the ones that you will get value
from. Don’t just go to every one because there are free drinks during your week in Vegas. Keep
your drinking under control and mingle like you know how. Don’t try to schedule meetings
during them or try to accomplish business. You can however set up a scheduled meeting for the
next day.
Schedule
Prior to arriving, make sure you map out your entire schedule (including walk times and
lunches). Give yourself some downtime because all that walking can be draining. Keep a
backup hard copy of your schedule (I’ll explain why below).
Insoles Purchased
Notice how many times I’ve already mentioned walking. You will walk tons during the RECon
show. I always like to pick up one of those tchotchke pedometers from a vendor and turn it on to
see just how far I walk at the show. My advice, get a pair of Dr Scholl’s insoles to help alleviate
the pressure. Business shoes just aren’t that comfortable. Don’t be surprised if you see people
wearing sneakers and a suit (it looks awkward, but I bet they are more comfortable than the rest
of us).
Undigitize
This is the day and age of digital. If I didn’t have my smartphone, I don’t know how I would
function. However, at ICSC, you have to learn to undigitize a bit. There isn’t always internet
available and if there is, there are so many people trying to get on it…it can be really slow. Also,
for some reason, the Las Vegas Convention Center seems like an energy suck on phones. Every
year I go, my phone drains several hours quicker than normal. Don’t get caught off-
guard. Bring your charger with you and utilize the many charging stations. But I say to
undigitize a bit and here is what I mean. If you think you are going to bring your iPad to show
all your listings, bring hard copy backups. I mentioned to bring a hard copy backup of your
schedule. Nothing is worse when you try to check your schedule on your phone and either you
can’t get service or your battery is about to die.
There you have it, with these tips, you should be more productive and may enjoy the show more.
By: John Boyer, Director, Marketing, Coldwell Banker Commercial Affiliates
View more at Blog.CBCWorldwide.com