Insider’s guide to RECon’s parties

It’s party time at ICSC’s RECon. But with more than 60 soirées, dozens of venues and three full days of convention time, what’s a retail professional to do? To make sense of it all, The Real Deal sat down with a multi-year RECon veteran to get the inside scoop on navigating the conference to maximize your fun — and, of course, your face time with important peeps. Keep in mind that these parties are invitation-only, so call in your favors early, lest you end up on the wrong side of the velvet ropes. 

SATURDAY

If you’re into the early-bird special, fly in May 21 to get some pool time and scope the strip before the masses arrive. A lucky few will get an invite to Thor Equities’ exclusive dinner Saturday evening — mum’s the word on details this year, but our secret source said last year’s festivities started at 8 p.m. at the Wynn’s Bartolotta Ristorante di Mare, which has since transitioned into the restaurant Costa di Mare.

SUNDAY

Only newbies wear suits on this Sunday Funday; ditch yours, don flip-flops and your sunnies and head to the Wynn’s European (aka clothing-optional) pool. From noon to 5 p.m., this is the place to be. Starting around 1 p.m., Winick Realty Group and Ashkenazy Acquisition will each have cabanas overflowing with booze and food. If it’s anything like 2015, and there’s every reason to think it will be, you’ll be poolside with Wharton Properties’ Jeff Sutton and Ackman-Ziff’s Simon Ziff, among other luminaries of retail real estate.

 If you need a quick change of scene, just next door title insurance company Royal Abstract will be hosting an afternoon get-together at Encore.

Around 5 p.m. it’s time to shower up and change for round two. The retail royalty will be attending ICSC Foundation’s Gala Dinner at 6 p.m. in the Wynn’s La Tour ballroom, an event they bill as the “place to ROCK at RECon!” Some of us will head to the Cosmopolitan, where evening parties abounded last year, some will hit the Monet Ballroom at the Bellagio to hang with the lawyers of Brown Rudnick, while others will go to SW Steakhouse for eats with Fidelity National Title. It’s all a matter of taste (and access). Our source says Avison Young‘s party can serve as a brief pit stop before heading to the huge RKF and RFR bash at the Cabo Wabo Cantina. While our intrepid insider says that party still isn’t what it was pre-Great Recession, it’s still one of the best events of the conference, and the boatloads of seafood make it all the more worthwhile.    

After about 11 p.m., it’s time to hit the club scene. There are always happening late-night RECon parties at the club at the MGM Grand and at Encore’s XS Nightclub, where Marcus & Millichap often has an after-hours cabana.

MONDAY

After the conference ends for the day at 5 p.m., watch to see which booths people are flocking towards — those are the ones with the beer. While the food at these booth parties notoriously sucks, it’s good down time with prospective clients. 

One of the most coveted invites of all is to NGKF‘s Monday night party, which is traditionally held at Marquee at the Cosmopolitan. Good luck getting a wristband for that. The Signature Bank party always has good food and good company, but after a few years at Bellagio’s Lily Bar, it’s switching venues this year to Country Club, a steakhouse at the Wynn, so we’ll have to see how that affects the vibe. J.P. Morgan‘s event is staying put at Hyde Bellagio, where the networking is excellent and the view of the famous fountain is jaw-dropping. Since you’re already in banker-schmoozing mode, might as well say your hellos to the Bank of America Merrill Lynch folks down the strip at OMNIA at Caesars Palace. Cushman & Wakefield will be doing their annual low-key shindig by the pool at the Four Seasons, and CBRE is doing its usual clients-only event at XS.

TUESDAY

Most people head out of town Wednesday, so the New York Developers‘ party Tuesday night is kind of like RECon’s grand finale. The event used to be in less demand and all you had to do to get in was throw your card in a bowl, but these days everybody wants in. The party takes place poolside at the Bellagio and the drinks flow as freely as the bikini-clad mermaids in the pool.

WEDNESDAY

The show on Wednesday is pretty much a ghost town, which means that it’s a good day to get meetings with people who had been too busy with their booths beforehand. But if you aren’t feeling motivated to hit the show floor, go back to where it all began: poolside at the Wynn, where stragglers gather all day for one last hurrah.