Shopping Centers Today is the news magazine of the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC)
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60 S C T / A P R I L 2 0 1 7 Officials from states, municipalities and economic development agencies that seek to build revenues and revitalize their neighborhoods are ready to convene once again in Las Vegas next month, where they will establish and strengthen relationships with retailers, restaurants and entertainment concepts. As of last month, nearly 50 such representatives had signed up as booth exhibitors at RECon 2017, which runs May 21–24, and about 10 of those are first-timers this year. Visitors to these public-sector RECon booths will find maps, videos, neighborhood and demographic data, project models and descriptions, and similar information from a wide range of government and development agencies. Participation levels among these agencies in this deal-making convention have fluctuated over the years, but the strength of this year's demonstrated interest reflects the strength of the U.S. retail industry, according to Timothy McGuinness, ICSC's vice presi- dent of global trade expositions. "As we know, states and cities have had their challeng- es, but RECon is the event that they need to attend, because retail is an economic driver for communities," McGuin- ness said. "Just as much as developers and retailers are doing deals with each other, they're also doing deals with cities and states, so there's interest from all parties in work- ing collaboratively together." These organizations generally schedule meetings in ad- vance of the convention, but mayors and other officials will be available for spontaneous interaction too. The Greater Okla- homa City Chamber, a mainstay at this event for nearly a de- cade, holds a lunch meeting on Monday with the mayor and other local officials typically in attendance. "Just having city leadership in our booth shows retailers how proactive Okla- homa City is to make sure deals happen," said Tammy Fate, the chamber's manager of retail development and recruitment. "The city is transforming pretty quickly, and we're always try- ing to attract new destination retailers to the market." RECon is an ideal platform for strengthening existing de- veloper and retailer relationships and for forging new ones, Fate points out. This is important, she says, because sales taxes make up a majority of Oklahoma City's general fund. Among the city's recent retail recruitment successes are Ca- bela's and Topgolf, both along the Memorial Road corridor. The Greater Oklahoma City Chamber is also promoting the downtown, which, with the help of a sales-tax incentive, welcomed a $45 million white-water-rafting attraction last year. Further, a streetcar line is under construction, and a convention hotel is being planned too. The Washington, DC Economic Partnership, a nearly 15- year RECon veteran, has benefited from face-to-face contacts with retailers and brokers there, according to partnership Pres- ident and CEO Keith J. Sellars. The group has drawn the likes of Costco, Lowe's, Nordstrom Rack, Target and Trader Joe's to its market, as well as restaurants and entertainment concepts. RECon has played an important role in those conversations, Sel- lars says. "I tell folks that ICSC RECon is … the culmination of what we do year-round," he said. "For us the important thing is having the opportunity to be in front of the retailers and the brokers that represent them." Sellars is lobbying for more grocery stores in particular, even though roughly 30 have opened or expanded in that market over the past 15 years. In some cases, incentives are available to help foster deals, he says. "As much [of] an eco- nomic renaissance [as] Washington, D.C., has gone through, and is still going through, we still have neighborhoods that are underserved or food deserts," Sellars said. "So we're still looking for anchors for some of these emerging neighbor- hoods, whether it's a big box like Target or a grocery store." Baltimore is now enjoying some population growth af- ter several decades of decline, thanks largely to the settlement there of graduates from 13 locally based universities along with other Millennials, according to William H. Cole, presi- dent and CEO of Baltimore Development Corp., a faithful RE- Con attendee for nearly a decade. "We keep coming back be- cause it has been a very successful trip for us in the past," Cole said. "We've found that you can do more in a couple of days Courting retail Public officials are heading to RECon to seek out private partners By Joe Gose