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Shopping Centers Today -> October 2001
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TEXAS IDEA EXCHANGE MOVES TO SAN ANTONIO
Big changes are afoot for ICSC’s annual Idea Exchange in Texas, as officials aim to create a single showpiece event for the Lone Star State.
The 2001 Texas Idea Exchange, formerly the South Central States Idea Exchange, will be held at the San Antonio Convention Center Nov. 1 and 2. It will feature morning golf, afternoon sessions and a welcome reception in the evening of the first day. Day two will be dedicated to deal making, according to ICSC meeting planner Shane Shaps.
In previous years, the South Central States convention alternated between Dallas and Houston, and included industry players from Oklahoma and Arkansas. But that format would polarize attendees from the respective metro areas, Shaps said. Also, the event was held for just one day, with deal making scheduled in the afternoon.
It made for unimpressive attendance figures of about 800 delegates each year, said Michael C. Ainbinder, CEO of The Ainbinder Co., and ICSC Texas state director.
“Texas has one of the top memberships by state in ICSC and three metro areas,” said Bob Ginsburg, program committee chairman, and a vice president in CB Richard Ellis’s Dallas office. “Our goal is to get it to the same stature as other Idea Exchanges.”
Red McCombs, owner of the NFL’s Minnesota Vikings, is scheduled to give the keynote address.
San Antonio is a top-tier convention city that draws national and international events, said Shaps, who noted that holding the event close to the weekend — the show starts on a Thursday — will allow people traveling with their families to stay longer and enjoy the city’s recreational offerings. Ainbinder said the event would be moved to the city permanently. “We’ve reserved space in San Antonio for the next three years.”
Industry players from Oklahoma and Arkansas are invited to this year’s Texas Idea Exchange, but ICSC is considering creating a separate event for those states.
Attendees will discuss two issues during panel sessions: whether lifestyle centers are threatening traditional malls and strip centers, and the intensifying competition between restaurants such as Boston Market and supermarkets for the take-out home-style cooked food market.
In another change, the Texas membership has been united under one leadership, unlike previous years that split it between north and south. The change was made official at ICSC’s annual Spring Convention in May.
Ainbinder said he hoped the event would attract as many as 2,500 attendees over the next several years. “If someone is in the retailer development business, and is doing business in Texas, this will be a must-attend type of event.”
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