ICSC RECon, the global retail real estate convention in Las Vegas, has come and gone. But even as its 36,000 attendees leave Vegas behind, the conversations, relationships and (hopefully) deals from the convention will carry over beyond Sin City.

Beyond the typical networking, deal-making and educational opportunities that RECon offers each year, CPEX Real Estate managing partner Timothy King had one overriding takeaway from his “RECon-aissance:"

“Walking through the casinos each morning to get to the convention, it struck me that there’s a strong analogy to be made between the trade show and the very casinos hosting all of us—lots of money changing hands, lots of frantic activity, lots of hearts being broken, and yet an overwhelming sense of optimism in the air, no matter which corner of the convention you were in.”

Indeed, the 150 first-time exhibitors speak to the optimism, time and money invested by real estate companies and agents from across the country and world.

It appears even the New York pigeons had to fly all the way out to Las Vegas to see what all the fuss is about, and if the rents might be going up on their favorite roost.

The only question is, in this analogy, which of the thousands of attendees left playing with house money? We'll just all have to go back next year to find out.

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