“Liar’s Ball” is the nickname for the Real Estate Board of New York’s annual banquet, held since the 1890s. Members of the real estate industry puff up their sales to colleagues at the event. The nickname “Liar’s Ball” has been used since at least 1994.
 
 
Real Estate Baord of New York - Who Belongs to REBNY?
The Board’s ranks consist of 12,000 owners, builders, brokers, managers, banks, insurance companies, pension funds, real estate investment trusts, utilities, attorneys, architects, marketing professionals and many other individuals and institutions involved in New York realty.
   
Real Estate Board of New York - Social and Civic Activities
REBNY’S SOCIAL ACTIVITIES
The Board’s social and professional activities complement one another. The Annual Banquet, spring and fall golf and tennis outings, membership lunches and dinners, and other such occasions give REBNY members the chance to enjoy good company, make contacts and obtain information. Friendships made at these events often become meaningful in our members’ careers and social lives through the years.
   
HighBeam Research
Entrepreneur.com
Covering all bases in an ever-changing market. (real estate industry) (Women in Real Estate)
Article from: Real Estate Weekly
Article date: February 16, 1994
Author: Dunphy, Patricia
Every year at the Real Estate Board Banquet, affectionately named the “Liar’s Ball,” there is a distinguished New York developer who asks me how are things going in the world of my particular field and every year I reply with something like, “Actually I’m working in a new area,” and he invariably replies, “Covering all your bases, right?”
 
New York (NY) Post
STATE OF THE UNION
REBNY GALA GOERS HONOR THEIR PEERS - AND SCHMOOZE  
By LOIS WEISS
Posted: 2:45 am
January 15, 2009
THE Real Estate Board of New York (REBNY) represents the who’s who of city real estate executives. If you own something in New York City or want to do business with the owners, chances are you belong. Its members provide valuable insights as well as deep pockets to policy makers.
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While REBNY’s membership is 11,860 strong, only about 3,000 of them will fit into tonight’s annual event at the Hilton Hotel & Towers’ Ballroom which costs $950 for each of the coveted tickets. It is not unusual to see tuxedo-clad men along with women in floor-length gowns swarming the lobby areas and adjacent parties hoping to score an entry card for the main event, informally known as The Liar’s Ball.
   
New York (NY) Times - City Room blog
January 16, 2009, 12:56 pm
A Bit of a Chill at the Real Estate Ball
By Christine Haughney
Bone-chilling temperatures, news of a plane crash and endless worries about the economy didn’t stop members of New York City’s real estate world from donning their tuxedos for one of their favorite annual events on Thursday night.
 
They headed to the New York Hilton for the 113th annual Real Estate Board of New York banquet — also known as the Liar’s Ball, for how its guests exaggerate about how many buildings they have sold, bought or rented lately.
 
The gathering is one of the few constants in a city of uncertainty. Every January, guests pay roughly $950 per ticket for the same meal of mixed greens, filet mignon with roasted potatoes and mixed vegetables. But guests never eat. They stand over their tables, slap each others backs, shake hands and shout over the speakers about their deals.