Brokers, landlords, engineers and architects didn’t shy away from the crazy nature of ICSC in Las Vegas, returning in full force Sunday to the opening reception, afterparties and waking up bright and early Monday morning.
Suits and multicolored polo shirts descended upon the Wynn Las Vegas for workshops, followed by a keynote address from former college football coach and car dealership owner Nick Saban, who imparted universal wisdom that applies to both the astroturf and the game of real estate.
“The people who affected my life the most were my parents and the coaches that I had. That’s why we have such a great responsibility as coaches because coaching is teaching, teaching is the ability to inspire [learning],” Saban said, sharing just one of his bits of sage advice on Sunday to an enormous crowd at the Wynn.
While some attendees see ICSC as a good time and a chance to grow their networking pool, others have more specific goals.
Kevin Adatto, Sean Tufts and Curtis Hodges of Northmarq/" title="Northmarq" class="company-link">Northmarq were finding potential acquisitions for clients such as Kimco Realty and PGIM, both of which are looking for grocery-anchored retail properties in the Northwest.
“There haven’t been a lot of core deals. I think some of that stuff is going to come onto the market and investors are getting antsy for a variety of reasons,” Adatto said. “I think they’re saying, ‘We’re going to be in this market a little longer than we envisioned and we want to do something to get this thing off the books.’ What I hope is going to happen is that the herd mentality where everyone is going to follow suit once a couple deals transact.”
Jay Ingram, who handles leasing, sales and development for Kentucky-based Alton Webb Commercial real Estate" class="company-link">Alton Webb Commercial real Estate, said the firm is looking for a developer to help with the buildout of Saddlebred Point, a community Alton Webb is building outside of Louisville, and tenants for another development in northeastern Alabama.
For Bryan Greeley, business development manager at NYM Group" class="company-link">NYM Group, the event is all about tapping into a potential stream of clients as they work with the owners of Long Island’s SunVet Mall to revitalize the property.
Some of the afterparties that took place included Marcus & Millichap (MMI)’s bash at XS Nightclub at the Wynn, while RDC and Pinnacle Contracting held a cocktail soirée at Vanderpump Cocktail Garden at Caesars Palace.
Mark Hallum can be reached at mhallum@commercialobserver.com.