International Council of Shopping Centers Deal Show – New York City, New York (2024)
The iconic Crystal Palace, is the expansive glass-enclosed main atrium of the Javits Center (Jacob K. Javits Convention Center), located at 429 11th Avenue on the West Side of Manhattan in New York City. Designed by the renowned architectural firm I.M. Pei & Partners, the Crystal Palace is famous for its massive, 15-story soaring space-frame structure composed of exposed steel trusses and thousands of panels of geometric glass.
The glass ceiling overlooks the center’s massive 6.7-acre green roof, which serves as a major wildlife sanctuary, water conservation mechanism, and solar energy hub in New York City. Nearby panels noted over 50 species of bird observed on the roof, a 26% reduction of energy consumption, and 100 energy-efficient HVAC units.
At the deal show we had a modest table and display, with plenty of takeaways. Over the course of the two day show we cleared out all of our inventory and met around 150 people.
Here a colleague, Stewart Beal, is speaking with a councilperson from Princeton.
Part of the equation of successful booth design is to grab attention from 20 to 40 feet away as people are approaching. Our pull up banner helped to achieve that.
The commercial leasing exhibition booth for M&M Realty Partners was set up for the premier national dealmaking alliance for retail real estate professionals. Renderings on the panels present structural plans for their premier town centers, medical facilities, and large-scale apartment redevelopments. M&M Realty Partners, alongside their structural building affiliate Edgewood Properties, utilize this forum to pitch their mixed-use and open-air retail development portfolios to major corporate expanding tenants. The large blue back-lit brand wall highlights a massive list of national retailers, grocery chains, and restaurants that anchor their current properties, including:
- Grocers: Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods Market, Aldi, and Wegmans.
- Retail Giants: Costco Wholesale, Best Buy, Target, Macy’s, and DSW.
- Eateries & Services: Wawa, Chick-fil-A, Panera Bread, Tesla Center, and CVS Pharmacy.
The economic development exhibition booth for the City of Madisonville, Kentucky, had representatives working to actively pitch-market the city to retail developers and national brands looking to expand into western Kentucky. The central blue kiosk, themed “Explore your Infinite Possibilities,” advertises attractive local market statistics:
- Daytime Population: 61K
- Labor Shed: 290,000 within 45 miles
- Cost of Living Index: 71.5% (well below the national average)
- Status: Designated as a leading manufacturing hub
A banner on the right proudly showcases national brands that are either newly opened or actively under development in Madisonville, including Ulta Beauty, Five Below, Starbucks, Aldi, Marshalls, Hobby Lobby, and Zaxby’s.
The economic development exhibition booth for Oklahoma City Retail, was run by the Oklahoma City Chamber or municipal development alliance, this pavilion markets OKC’s booming market to national site selectors and retail developers. The central wall features a striking nighttime panoramic skyline photograph of downtown Oklahoma City, prominently displaying the lit Devon Energy Center tower and the Scissortail Park grounds. banner on the left emphasizes the city’s focus on Office, Retail, Multifamily, and Mixed-Use urban infill developments.
Brand Urban had a display that was fittingly brand-forward, with hospitality from maman (one of their brands) at the table in the foreground.
Midwood used retractable banners to highlight specific development opportunities in Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C.
A large, backlit wall graphic displaying an AI-generated visualization of the future of retail, showcased at the JLL (Jones Lang LaSalle) pavilion. Titled as an AI Generated Wall Graphic for the ICSC Show, this concept illustration was spearheaded by creative designer JoAnn LaForge in collaboration with JLL retail research teams. Text embedded in the top right of the frame states: “Augmented reality, personalized recommendations, frictionless transactions, and cutting-edge tech will redefine the future shopping environment.” The illustration portrays a high-tech apparel showroom combining organic wooden paneling with massive, immersive curved digital dashboards. It visualizes futuristic amenities like virtual avatar try-ons, localized sizing analytics, automated inventory carousels, and lounge seating for a hyper-personalized customer journey.
RD Management LLC, is a privately held commercial real estate development and management firm boasting a portfolio of over 15 million square feet nationwide. The central flat-screen monitor runs a rotating digital showcase of their premiere open-air shopping centers and mixed-use projects. The display currently captures an aerial view of Harbor View Marketplace, one of their anchor retail assets. A wooden presentation ledge houses a row of printed property brochures and demographic folders outlining retail space availability for national tenant representation.
Banners display properties managed and developed by Wilmorite Management Group, a prominent commercial real estate development company based in Rochester, New York. The banners highlight several major retail and shopping destinations in the Rochester area:
- Pittsford Plaza: A premier, upscale open-air shopping center located on Monroe Avenue in the affluent suburb of Pittsford, NY.
- The Marketplace Mall: A major regional shopping hub situated in Henrietta, NY, which has undergone significant redevelopment into a mixed-use facility.
- The Mall at Greece Ridge: A large, expansive indoor shopping mall located in Greece, NY, serving the northern retail market of Monroe County.
This trade show display highlights the Henderson Avenue Portfolio, a major commercial mixed-use redevelopment stretching across a quarter-mile corridor in Dallas, Texas. The 161,000-square-foot street-level project is a joint development by New York-based Acadia Realty Trust and Dallas-based place-creation firm Ignite-Rebees. Designed by the architecture firm GFF, the master plan transforms the area into a walkable, design-forward retail district featuring 10 architecturally distinct buildings, public gathering spaces, and underground parking. The booth uses popular, experiential anchor businesses along the vibrant corridor to showcase the destination’s appeal:
- Tecovas: The signature direct-to-consumer Western boot and leather goods storefront located at 3010 North Henderson Avenue.
- Local Public Eatery: A lively neighborhood pub and social dining venue serving the local community.
Probably the highlight of the show for me was spending time with Koby Ben-Zvi with Placer.ai. I met him two times before during the Placer Discover event held the day before ICSC opens.
On the trade show floor was a “retail row.” The concept was simple. Line up companies looking to expand and give people looking for tenants an opportunity to walk the row.