Granbury EDC Representatives Meet Key Retail Real Estate Leaders at Annual ICSC Event
by Granbury EDC
LAS VEGAS --- Last week, Granbury EDC was among the more than 2,000 public officials and 50,000 retail real estate professionals who traveled to Las Vegas to attend RECon, the global convention sponsored by the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) that showcases retail and economic development opportunities.
ICSC's RECon (previously known as the ICSC Spring Convention) is the largest gathering of retail real estate professionals worldwide. The four-day event features educational sessions on retail and economic development issues, a 240,000 square-foot Trade Expo featuring product and service vendors, and a 2.0 million square-foot Leasing Mall showcasing leading retailers, developers, leasing agents, brokers, and public sector professionals. ICSC estimates that approximately 25 percent of all shopping center development projects are the result of this annual convention.
“ICSC’s RECon is an opportunity like no other and is a must-attend event if you are trying to create any type of retail real estate development in your community,” Marie Ferguson said. “In just four days we were able to meet with the leading shopping center developers, owners, and retailers who may not have been aware of the economic development opportunities in our community.”
In addition to the public officials who attended the event, nearly 100 cities, economic development agencies and other public sector groups also exhibited at this year’s convention. Public sector groups began exhibiting at the event in 1982 as a way to increase awareness about the development opportunities in their communities.
“Through the years, the need to bring the public and private sectors together to discuss retail real estate strategies has become more important than ever and ICSC’s RECon provides that opportunity,” ICSC President and CEO Michael P. Kercheval said. “RECon is a highly intensive meeting which focuses on discussing and creating retail real estate opportunities throughout the world. For some, the convention is the only opportunity they have to meet and showcase their communities to developers, owners and retailers in a cost-effective manner. It’s is a crucial step in the development of a comprehensive retail recruitment strategy.”
Shopping centers generate more than $2 trillion in retail sales annually in the U.S. and raise more than $126 billion in sales tax revenue for state and local governments. In 2007, there were 12.9 million shopping center-related jobs in the U.S. It is estimated that nearly one out of every ten U.S. jobs is shopping center-related employment.
Founded in 1957, ICSC is the world’s largest retail real estate trade and professional association with more than 73,000 members in more than 100 countries. Members include shopping center owners, developers, managers, marketing specialists, investors, retailers, brokers, academic and public officials. Headquartered in New York City, ICSC has over 150 staff members and offices in Washington, D.C., Toronto, London, Beijing and Singapore.