RITES OF SPRING

New three-in-one format rolled out at annual ICSC Las Vegas show.

By Debra Hazel

LAS VEGAS — The walls of Jericho — or at least the one between the Trade Expo and Leasing Mall — came crashing down for the first time since the mid-1980s at ICSC’s 44th annual Spring Convention.

The four-day conference, which drew more than 28,000 shopping center professionals from 40 countries, ran May 20-24 at the Las Vegas Convention Center here. In accordance with the theme "Three-in-one in 2001, the one for you," the Trade Expo, showcasing vendors and services to the industry, was held concurrently with the Leasing Mall and the educational sessions.

ICSC itself rolled out a new exhibit: a Welcome Center in the middle of the convention center. The 5,000-square-foot area provided a complete offering of ICSC’s products and services, including membership signup, publications, government relations and an Internet Cafe where attendees surfed the Web, had cups of coffee and rested briefly between appointments.

The show kicked off on Sunday afternoon with the opening of the Trade Expo, with 330 vendors exhibiting in 498 booths. In contrast to last year’s show, where dotcom companies seemed to dominate the Expo, this year saw a more traditional mix of services, including furnishings, insurance companies, security providers and building materials suppliers.

The most significant changes, however, involved the 625,000-square-foot Leasing Mall, where 850 companies exhibited. For the first time, it opened on Monday morning, and the physical wall separating it from the Trade Expo was eliminated. The exhibitions ran simultaneously on Monday and Tuesday, with attendees moving easily between the two. "Traffic [at the Expo] was consistently solid throughout all hours of the convention," rather than sudden bursts of activity followed by quiet periods, said Greg Jira, ICSC manager of Trade Expositions.

Also on Monday and Tuesday, educational panels ranged from talks on airport retail, rising insurance premiums and technology to large general sessions on public/private partnerships and small centers. Featured speakers included historian Doris Kearns Goodwin, Mike Jensen of NBC News and ABC News anchor Barbara Walters, filling in for an injured Walter Cronkite.

The Leasing Mall continued alone on Wednesday. The move also served to shorten the conference by one day; Spring Convention had ended on Thursday afternoon for the past decade.

During the show, ICSC paid tribute to its outgoing president, John T. Riordan, who stepped down from his post to become vice chairman. Michael P. Kercheval was named president and CEO. John M. Ingram of The Mills Corp. became the association’s 42nd chairman.

The only significant glitch in the conference was the result of its popularity: exceptionally long lines at registration on Monday morning. ICSC officials immediately began planning for next year to avoid a repeat of the problem.

The 45th annual ICSC Spring Convention will be held May 19-23, 2002, at the Las Vegas Convention Center.