On the Level: New York and beyond
The ICSC’s nationwide series of Deal Making shows are smart and efficient examples of face-to-face business events done well. In a marketplace defined so markedly by region, these targeted trade shows put retailers together with the major local developers at a site within the specific region and in an intimate setting where deals can be made.
But the New York Deal Making show has evolved into something bigger.
That fact has been made obvious this year with the move of the main show floor to the third level of the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center. New York is the business capital of the United States. Wall Street analysts and investors roam the aisles alongside retailers, consulting with the top developers and taking the temperature of the marketplace to inform decisions they will make to steer REITs and funds that have become bulwarks of the national economy.
The New York metro area houses several retail headquarters and corporate offices, and the New York show has traditionally pulled more than just site selection, leasing, and construction managers from top retail companies.
New York is also where the outposts of important international retailers tend to be located. Two of the fastest-growing apparel retailers — Zara and H&M — have their U.S. bases in the Big Apple. A quick cab or Uber ride to Javits, and the people guiding their expansions across the 50 states can sit down and talk with the CEOs and leasing managers of big, national developers like Westfield, Starwood, and CBL.
They can also visit with important regional developers who have no real presence in the Northeast market and who, on the face of it, would have no reason to be present at a Northeast regional show.
Take developers like Steiner + Associates (Booth #2401) as an example. A major player in the Midwest, the developer and owner of Easton Mall in Columbus is at the show promoting the expansive Town Center it is building at Lake Nona in Florida. What started as an upscale golf community built by Tavistock Development outside of Orlando has evolved into one of the fastest-growing communities in the country.
Then there is Irvine Company (Booth #3101), the creators of Irvine, Calif., whose holdings reside wholly on the West Coast. For show attendees interested in live-work-play developments, the Irvine booth is a must stop. The masters of master-planning, Irvine virtually invented the mixed-use development.
The Outlet Resource Group (Booth #3217), a force in the European outlet business, is at the show to talk with retailers about the OKC Outlets — formerly Outlet Shoppes at Oklahoma City — which TORG acquired from CBL earlier this year. Retailers have been known to stop by to chat with TORG principal David Hinkle and tap his vast, international experience in the outlet business.
As the New York show expands into new territory, we at Chain Store Age felt we should do the same with our coverage of the show. The result is our expanded section, which focuses on what’s happening in the Northeast, but also takes note of exhibitors with a direct business connection to New York, if not a physical presence.
With the main body of exhibitors in a new space, we also thought attendees would appreciate an easy-to-consult guide to the top developers in each aisle, along with some detailed call-outs of what awaits them in some of the most popular booths.
We hope you like it.