The International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC), the premier global trade association of the shopping center industry, will continue to call Las Vegas home for its annual tradeshow RECon for another two years with the option for a three-year extension.
First held in Las Vegas in 1976 and having returned annually since 1986, Las Vegas once again competed with major convention cities, this time against Chicago and Orlando, to welcome back the world’s largest gathering of shopping center executives to the Las Vegas Convention Center.
“This was a very competitive process, and Las Vegas rose to the challenge with our resort partners working together to show why we are the No. 1 tradeshow destination in North America and how we intend to stay on top through continual reinvention and the development of the Las Vegas Global Business District,” said Rossi Ralenkotter, president/CEO, LVCVA. “We appreciate ICSC’s long-standing commitment to Las Vegas and their role in supporting thousands of local jobs and contributing more than $1 billion into the local economy over the years.”
With its current contract signed through 2017, the show’s new two-year contract is set to begin in 2018. If the three-year extension is exercised, RECon could potentially run through 2022.
“This announcement is further proof that Las Vegas remains a global leader in tradeshows and conventions,” said Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval. “I would like to congratulate Rossi Ralenkotter and the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority on this exciting announcement and thank them for their tireless work attracting the best to the Silver State and setting the bar for excellence in the travel and tourism industry. I would also like to thank the International Council of Shopping Centers for selecting Nevada, once again, as home to one of the premier events for the shopping center industry.”
From 2017 to 2022, should the show be extended, RECon is estimated to generate nearly $225 million in non-gaming economic impact for Southern Nevada, a value which Tim McGuinness, vice president of global trade expositions, ICSC, presented in a symbolic check to newly elected Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) Board Chairman Lawrence Weekly.
“We are excited to keep RECon in Las Vegas, where it has been every year since 1986,” McGuinness exclaimed. “Whether events are small or large, [Las Vegas] has the golden touch.”
Photo Credit: Brian Jones, Las Vegas News Bureau
Praising the LVCVA, McGuinness explained that the decision to remain was based on the city’s team effort between the LVCVA and hospitality industry.
“Las Vegas was built around the tourism and the hospitality industry. They understand that tradeshows and events drive the economy,” stated McGuinness. “All the presidents and CEO’s of the hotels, [City of Las Vegas] Mayor [Carolyn] Goodman, Governor Sandoval – all in one room – created a great sense of camaraderie. It was the unity as a group that most impressed me.”
“You’ve put out the red carpet for us. We look forward to continuing to work with the LVCVA to ensure that our members and attendees have the greatest conference experience possible.”
The 2015 RECon show will be held May 17-20 at the Las Vegas Convention Center. Future shows are expected to be held in the new exhibit halls of the $2.3 billion Las Vegas Global Business District, the largest economic development initiative the LVCVA has undertaken since the Las Vegas Convention Center was originally built in the late 1950s.
RECon attracts more than 34,000 attendees and 1,000 exhibitors from around the world to the Las Vegas Convention Center every year. The show has generated more than $1 billion in non-gaming economic impact for the Las Vegas economy and brought almost 900,000 attendees to the destination.
For more information, visit www.icsc.org.
