Sacramento shines at ICSC: 4 takeaways from the convention
Based on response from the annual ICSC convention in May, interest in Downtown Sacramento is at an all time high. The annual International Council of Shopping Centers’ (ICSC) RECon convention in Las Vegas attracts 33,000 developers, real estate brokers, and economic development professionals from around the world to network, share trends, meet retailers, and pen deals.
Our very own Senior Business Development Manager, Valerie Mamone-Werder, along with Sacramento brokers and representatives from the city, attended the event and had the following takeaways:
- Retail is Back – Retail developers around the U.S. are back in the game and mixed-use development is getting traction. This bodes well for our future, as most of the development projects in the Downtown pipeline are just that – mixed-use!
- Sacramento is on the radar – The tables have turned in our favor. The days of the hard sales pitch about Sacramento are over. Major brands and investors have been following Sacramento’s story, especially the ESC, and are excited about our future.
- The ESC is an accelerator and DSP is a resource – The Sacramento market is hot for retailers due to the progress with the ESC. The brokerage community has been coming to us for research and market data to help sell our story. We have been providing them with demographic information, available space listings, and details on development projects in the Central City
- Hotels are hot – There is talk of several new hotel developments in downtown Sacramento. National hotels have taken notice of Downtown Sacramento and are eager to see what the future brings for us and them.