City Center Partnership’s Matt Kennell Meets Key Retail Real Estate Leaders at Annual ICSC RECon Event
May 13, 2015
COLUMBIA, SC – There is no time like the present for public officials to seek out potential private partners to create a win-win situation. In an effort to promote additional economic development, enhance the local tax base, and create new jobs, Matt Kennell, president & CEO of City Center Partnership, will be among the more than 1,000 public officials and 35,000 retail real estate professionals who travel to Las Vegas the 3rd week of May to attend RECon, the global convention sponsored by the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC). Matt Kennell is the Public Sector Alliance Chair for ICSC for the State of SC.
The three-day event features educational sessions on retail and economic development issues, more than one million square-feet of exhibiting space which includes the Leasing Mall, showcasing leading retailers, developers, leasing agents, brokers, and public sector professionals; the Marketplace Mall, featuring product and service providers; and SPREE, featuring the cart, kiosk, and specialty retail sector. ICSC estimates that approximately 50 percent of all industry deals are conceived of or consummated at RECon.
“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,” Matt Kennell said. “In just three days we will be 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 attend the event, nearly 100 cities, economic development agencies and other public sector groups will exhibit 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,” noted ICSC president and CEO Michael P. Kercheval. “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 $2.5 trillion in retail sales annually in the U.S. and raise nearly $145 billion in sales tax revenue for state and local governments. In 2014, there were 12.7 million shopping center-related jobs in the U.S. For stats on your state visit http://www.icsc.org/advocacy/shopping-center-statistics
About City Center Partnership
City Center Partnership is a non-profit organization that manages South Carolina’s only managed Business Improvement District, a 36-block area bounded by Gervais, Elmwood, Assembly, and Marion streets in downtown Columbia. The organization is funded by the property owners within the 36-block area. For more information, please visit www.citycentercolumbia.sc.
About ICSC
Founded in 1957, ICSC is the premier global trade association of the shopping center industry. Its more than 68,000 members in over 1000 countries include shopping center owners, developers, managers, marketing specialists, investors, retailers and brokers, as well as academics and public officials. For more information, visit www.icsc.org.
