Shopping Centers Today is the news magazine of the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC)
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50 S C T / A P R I L 2 0 1 7 D emand for exhibit space at RECon 2017, com- bined with the current strength of the retail sector's fundamentals, is fueling speculation that this is likely to be the meeting's best at- tendance turnout in recent years, particularly as industry professionals continue to navigate the changes in consumer shopping and entertainment tastes. RECon is scheduled for May 21–24. The convention will draw about 37,000 this year, predicts Timothy McGuinness, ICSC's vice president of global trade ex- positions. If so, that would help extend an average year-on-year attendance increase of about 6 percent (following a postreces- sion lull that lasted through 2011). Exhibitor retention over that time has been particularly high, McGuinness says. This year for the first time, about 70 companies — developers, real estate services providers, and vendors of products and technology — will be encamped on the convention floor. Most notably, this year will see a certain not-so-newcomer — a firm well known to ICSC and its membership — return to the Las Vegas Convention Center floor: DDR Corp. For the past few years, DDR, which owns and manages roughly 300 shopping centers across 35 states and in Puerto Rico, as an experiment has operated off-site during RECon, on the Las Vegas Strip. But the Beachwood, Ohio–based REIT de- cided to return to the deal-making show site in large part to be more retailer focused and provide retailer clients with greater convenience for meetings, says Michael Makinen, executive vice president and chief operating officer at DDR. "We wanted to see if we located in an environment where we had more control and were able to directly make more decisions our- selves," Makinen said. "However, we found that there's nothing like the excitement of being on the show floor in the middle of all the RECon action." DDR's new state-of-the-art booth will be located in an opti- mal and convenient location in the Central Hall, enhancing the deal-making networking and educational opportunities that the event offers, he added. "As one of the leaders of the retail real estate industry, DDR believes that it is critical that we continue to stay up-to-date with the most innovative solutions that retailers and landlords are implementing to attract customers and drive traffic to shopping centers," Makinen said. "There's no better place to do that than RECon." DDR's reappearance is sure to generate buzz, McGuinness says. "When you have one of the very large and prominent Nothing like it Attendance at RECon 2017 is expected to attract a postrecession high By Joe Gose companies returning after a couple of years, it adds excitement and energy to the event," he said. "And I think it shows how strong interest is in the industry." Among the bona fide first-time exhibitors this year are some product and services providers seeking to network and to scout new opportunities. Tampa, Fla.–based Acoustiblok manufacturers a thin polymer material that absorbs sound across a range of applications: industrial, marine, transpor- tation and other uses. The company has seen an increasing number of shopping centers employ its product to prevent the noise of one tenant from seeping into the environment of another, says Shawn Saathoff, an Acoustiblok executive vice