ICSC’s New York National Deal Making Conference at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center on Dec. 8 and 9 will mark a turning point for the event — which is already second only to RECon as ICSC’s largest and best-attended. “This show is going to be dramatically bigger,” said Adam Ifshin, president and CEO of DLC Management Corp., in Tarrytown, N.Y., and an ICSC trustee. Ifshin has been chairman of the conference in the past. “The New York show has been attracting 7,000 to 9,000 attendees annually, and I could see it getting to 15,000 annually.”
One key to expanding the event was its relocation from multiple floors in two hotel conference centers to a single, much larger venue, doubling the show to 100,000 square feet under one roof. The additional space will give returning exhibitors more room while helping satisfy a lengthy waiting list of landlords, developers, retailers, brokers, lenders, municipalities, asset managers, and product and service providers heretofore unable to exhibit there. “Before, we had public companies in 10-by-20-foot booths, and they just didn’t fit,” Ifshin said. “Now, not only will members be able to expand their booths and meeting rooms, but we will have space for people that have been trying to exhibit at the show and haven’t been able to.”
And what a space it is. The Javits Center is the busiest convention facility in the country, located in Manhattan’s high-dollar New West Side. Recently expanded to 2.1 million square feet as part of a $465 million renovation, the landmark property is a short walk from the High Line, a linear park on an elevated former rail line. The convention center is also next to Hudson Yards, believed to be the largest private real estate development in U.S. history, which will ultimately encompass some 17 million square feet of residential and commercial space, including office towers and about 100 stores and restaurants, plus a public school, and a luxury hotel. “We have a venue to host the event in what is not only the most important emerging new neighborhood in New York, but probably the most important emerging neighborhood in the entire United States,” Ifshin said.
The industry-shaping New York City event shares many of the same themes and subvenues found at RECon. Municipal governments, economic development organizations and utility providers, for example, will be at this year’s show in force, seeking additions to their retail bases. Many of those communities have reserved space in a designated pavilion in the 1200 aisle, where they can showcase their development opportunities and forge relationships with retailers and potential real estate partners. The pavilion is just off Retailer Row, near the Networking Lounge.
At the nearby Finance Pavilion, in the 1400 aisle, visitors can walk through the latest mortgage offerings with lenders or check out the newest financial software. Many financial-services providers use the New York meeting as a chance to source new business and meet with existing clients.
Early arrivals to the conference can soothe any travel-addled nerves while getting a jump start on the week at the Bigger Better Party, a networking reception beginning at 5:30 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 7, at the STK Midtown steakhouse. The Water Coolers, a singing comedy troupe, will entertain. Tickets to the Bigger Better Party are $65 each and available online at icscfoundation.org/biggerbetterparty.
On Monday get up to date on retail fundamentals at the Industry Update, at 12:30 p.m. in the Special Events Hall, followed by a keynote address at 1 p.m. After an afternoon of deal making, head back to the Special Events Hall at 4 p.m. for the Retail Runway and see what select retailers have in store for the coming year, suggests Eddie Emeric, ICSC’s trade expositions director. Immediately after the Retail Runway, from 5:30 to 7 p.m., is the gala opening reception in the Javits Center’s glass-enclosed River Pavilion, overlooking the Hudson River.
Tuesday morning opens another full day of making connections and closing deals.
ICSC will keep participants up to date on their mobile devices. To join the conversation on Twitter, follow @ICSC and tweet using the official event hash tag, #NYConf. Schedule details and other helpful updates will go out through the ICSC mobile app for iPhones, iPads and Android devices. The free app is available for download at the iTunes Store and the Android Store under “ICSC mobile,” or at http://mobile.icsc.org/mobile/. The app also provides access to attendee and exhibitor lists and other useful data.
