Hats off to ICSC

ICSC Las Vegas exceeded my expectations.

First, kudos to ICSC and Whitney Livingston for introducing the new ICSC+WOMEN IN CRE and ICSC+PROPTECH. Monday’s biggest challenge wasn’t finding great programming but selecting which sessions to attend.

A few standouts from Monday…

Randi Zuckerberg’s perspective on finding your “main character moment” really resonated.

I was also honored to co-facilitate a roundtable with Carrie Bobb Shope on starting a business, a topic that is close to my heart. The women in attendance were incredible. And to the recent college grads who showed up, your initiative, questions, and ideas were energizing. The planning of the roundtable sessions was fantastic Melina Cordero.

Coach K’s keynote presentation was full of great insights, I especially loved his two key standards for any team interaction:
• Look each other in the eye. Tell each other the truth.
• And perhaps most importantly: the will to prepare to win matters more than the will to win.

Tuesday on the show floor: busy, crowded booths, connections happening at every turn. I walked in and immediately ran into long-time friend and marketing star Rachel Forman, followed by one of my favorite people and former Donahue Schriber colleague Henry A. Avila, CSM, RPA.

From there, fascinating sessions on liquid anchors (𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘰𝘰𝘯) and density paradoxes, plus more meetups with friends new and old.

What continues to make ICSC special is the people. The chance encounters, reconnecting with longtime colleagues, meeting new faces, exchanging ideas, and being surrounded by people deeply invested in CRE.

I realize now that I was so immersed in the experience of it all that I forgot to take many photos.

For someone who spends so much time thinking about retail experiences and the power of place, there’s something fitting about being fully present in the moment.