In our latest blog, we speak to Bill Kistler, Executive Vice-President and Managing Director Europe of the International Council of Shopping Centres (ICSC) about the current #challenges and #opportunities faced by the #retail property industry, and we find out what the organisation has in store for us this year...
Ahead of the ICSC European Conference in Barcelona, please tell us what we can expect from your flagship event this year.
We have reinvented both the format and content of our annual #conference in Barcelona on April 10-11, Space Place and the Future of Retail to make it even more forward-looking than previous events. Starting with combining the conference with our RECon showcase to the creation of a much more interactive programme that encourages dialogue and the sharing of #insights and #opportunities, the event this year will be unlike any ICSC has ever hosted in Europe.
What do you see as the biggest trends affecting the retail property market right now?
We’ve known for some time that the sector is about more than “retail” and more than shopping centres. #Food and #leisure have long been part of the #mix. It’s now understood that #retail is the heart and soul of true mixed use, the catalyst not just for more successful office, residential and other #property sectors, but more successful #cities! This re-convergence or ‘de-fragmentation’ is driving a rethinking of the future by #investors, #developers and policy makers.
How is ICSC supporting the industry?
A key part of ICSC’s mission is to foster #collaboration across borders, sectors and disciplines. To provide more value to the industry ICSC is working to evolve, innovate and rethink everything we do, from #research and #advocacy to how we bring #stakeholders together. #Europe is an ideal laboratory of new ideas and great retail places to do this.
You can register for the ICSC European Conference in Barcelona here.