March 4, 2025
TO: City Council
REQUESTED BY: Robert Johnson, City Manager
APPROVED BY: Robert A. Johnson, City Manager
SUBJECT: International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) 2025 RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends that the Mayor appoint and authorize travel requests for up to two City Councilmembers to attend the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) Real Estate Convention (RECON), Las Vegas, on May 18-20, 2025.
DISCUSSION:
Founded in 1957, the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) is the leading shopping center industry trade association with over 70,000 members located throughout 100 countries.
ICSC is a global convention, which will be held May 18-20, 2025 in Las Vegas. With approximately 40,000 attendees and over 1,000 exhibitors, RECON is the largest gathering of retail estate professionals in the United States.
Approximately 50 percent of all retail deals are concluded at the annual ICSC event held each May. Consequently, the annual meetings in May in Las Vegas and the October Western Division Conference in Southern California are essential to keep San Jacinto fresh in the minds of retailers and developers as new locations are considered.
Ongoing efforts at these ICSC events have resulted in the attraction of the Dutch Bros Coffee, Popeye’s Louisiana Kitchen, Jersey Mike’s, In and Out, Dollar Tree, Quick Quack Car Wash, Circle K, McDonald’s, Grocery Outlet, and on-going tenant interest and development for seven active commercial project locations in San Jacinto.
In addition, staff has been able to meet with multiple developers regarding various development locations throughout the City of San Jacinto. With ongoing and active commercial activity and the increased residential construction, this has generated increased interest by retail developers and brokers looking for sites along San Jacinto’s main corridors. In order to accommodate the anticipated meeting schedule and to enhance the City’s visibility, the City will continue to have its own booth to host developers and provide maximum exposure to San Jacinto.
Over the last four years, City staff has been able to conduct over 125 scheduled meetings with potential developers and retailers throughout the three-day conference. With meetings held in the City’s booth, San Jacinto attracted attention from additional interested retail and residential developers and others enjoying the conference who were just walking past.
Councilmembers routinely accompany staff at the annual ICSC event and are teamed with staff to handle individual and group meetings. The team effort establishes, builds, cements, and maintains relationships with shopping center developers, retail tenants, and their representatives, to show how engaged the city staff and elected officials are in obtaining new retailers.
The travel requests are being submitted now for City Council consideration in order to take advantage of advance registration rates and hotel accommodations.
Since 2017, the Mayor has had the privilege of appointing two councilmembers to attend the ICSC RECON event in Las Vegas to accompany staff in meeting with retail, commercial, and residential development companies, and many commercial brokerage firms.
Staff requests that the Mayor appoint two councilmembers to attend the event this May 2025.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The estimated cost for each Councilmember to attend is $2,500. This includes the ICSC membership and food and travel related expenses. Conference registration costs are included in the City’s booth registration; therefore individual registration costs are not required. Funds are available in the FY 2024-2025 Budget, Account #010-1100-411-3120 (Conference and Seminars).