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CHANGES THIS YEAR AT SPRING CONVENTION

BY DEBRA HAZEL

Deal makers eager to lease the world’s shopping centers can get started even sooner than usual at the ICSC Spring Convention, because this year’s Leasing Mall will open an hour earlier than in previous years.

The convention, bearing the theme “Back to Business,” will be held May 22-25 at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

The Leasing Mall, where more than 800 developers, retailers and finance companies will operate booths for deal making, is set to open at 8 a.m. on Monday, May 23, as is the Trade Expo, housing some 300 service vendors to the industry.

The educational portion of the conference, too, will see major changes this year, with sessions added Sunday and Wednesday. Instead of the traditional opening breakfast on Monday, a Sunday brunch will kick off the show. (Those feeling peckish Monday morning can grab a continental breakfast in the Trade Expo.) Following the brunch is a 1 p.m. blockbuster general session at which Brit Hume, chief Washington correspondent and managing editor of Fox News, will offer his perspective on the latest headlines. Hume will interview business icon Jack Welch, former chairman and CEO of General Electric Co.

The second annual Public Sector Reception, sponsored by ICSC and The U.S. Conference of Mayors, will allow municipal, state and economic development representatives to meet over food and drinks at the Trade Expo between 4:30 p.m. and 6 p.m.

In another convention first, a series of small interactive workshops are scheduled for Wednesday morning, led by industry specialists in such areas as financing, marketing, management and retailing.

“They will be more focused, and useful for people who may not have been able to get to the earlier sessions,” said Lorraine Mazza, ICSC staff vice president of conventions and conferences.

Monday’s sessions begin at 10 a.m. with the annual public officials’ blockbuster general session. Mayors and state officials will discuss private-public partnerships in a panel led by columnist and CNN Capital Gang moderator Mark Shields.

The luncheon keynote speaker will be retired U.S. Army General Tommy Franks. The afternoon’s concurrent sessions will cover supermarket trends, retail as a preferred investment, joint ventures and public-private partnerships, among other topics.

Tuesday’s breakfast will begin on a sporting note, featuring Olympic gold-medal-winning soccer champion Brandi Chastain. Concurrent sessions will cover open-air centers, the growing power of the consumer, emerging international markets and the first in a series of reports from the Retail Industry Leaders Association, “Future Retail Now: 40 of the World’s Best Stores.”

Later that morning comes the third annual Hot Retailers Awards, with fashion reporter and television personality Melissa Rivers as mistress of ceremonies. The luncheon speaker, Kip Tindell, CEO and president of The Container Store, will discuss his chain’s success. The afternoon sessions cover a host of subjects, from international retailing to mixed-use development. Another panel, consisting of first- and second-generation family developer teams, will discuss pioneering and continuing growth in the shopping center industry. Panelists include General Growth Properties’ Matthew and John Bucksbaum, CBL’s Charles and Stephen Lebovitz, and Weingarten Realty’s Stanford and Drew Alexander.

The Welcome Reception will take place Sunday, May 22, from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the Las Vegas Hilton Hotel pool. The Next Generation Reception is scheduled for 10 p.m.-midnight that night at the Skin Nightclub at the Palms Casino Resort.

For more information or to register, visit www.icsc.org.