By Sharon Poland, director of business development, Hartman Simons
LAS VEGAS (MAY 24, 2011) – Hartman Simons' 10th annual ICSC RECon party proved to be a great success, attracting more than 700 people to the Las Vegas House of Blues. And the upbeat mood among party-goers just might signify that recovery is on the horizon for the retail real estate industry.
Our annual party is a premier platform to market Hartman Simons' offerings and position as a top retail and commercial real estate law firm. We were excited to see the House of Blues welcome us back on the marquee outside its Music Hall.
Several big names in retail and real estate attended our party, including Home Depot real estate chief Mike LaFerle and Atlantic Station visionary Jim Jacoby. Jim still was smiling about completing a deal with Porsche to move its North American headquarters to his Aerotropolis mixed-use development near Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.
The new owner of Atlantic Station's Town Center also joined in the fun. Mark Toro, managing director of North American Properties, arrived with his wife on the eve of the large RECon show. Toro said he's received a lot of comments about being on the cover of National Real Estate Investor's May issue under the title "Turnaround Artist." He told NREI Editor Matt Valley, also in attendance, that appearing on the cover already has helped him on the new business front.
Bob Simons, our managing partner, declared the party a huge success. "This year's party was great in several respects. It enabled us to reconnect and thank clients, meet potential clients and share what our law firm does with the important ICSC crowd, he said.
Although the party was scheduled to end at 11:30 p.m., it still was going strong as midnight approached. Our Benno Rothschild says the size of the late-night crowd and overall party mood were positive signs for the retail industry.